By Blood Undone
by TalysAlankil
Summary: After five years raising his brothers with little help from his grandfather, Ventus, heir to the massive corporation X-Blade Industries, moves away to college. An attempt to make a new life and new friends—but his family still needs him. And he can't get the boy living across the hall out of his mind.
1. Chapter 1

"Do you _have_ to leave?"

Ventus paused in front of his car, a duffel bag slung over his shoulder, and turned towards his home. There stood Sora, halfway to Ventus's car already, with a pleading look in his eyes.

Heaving a sigh, Ventus dropped his bag on the back seat and turned back to his brother. "It's not like I'm _leaving_ leaving," he pointed out for the hundredth time. "My dorm's a fifteen minutes drive from home. Ten if there's no traffic. And with college classes, I'll probably have a more flexible schedule." He shrugged with an encouraging smile. "I might be home _more_ than I've been the past year."

He _had_ been away from home a lot during senior year. There was always another extracurricular to attend, another event, another party. And with their grandfather insisting that Ventus start taking a more active role in the company, he had also spent half of his evenings in his parents' old office.

A good chunk of that time had been Ventus trying not to feel like an impostor. Another decent chunk, he'd been trying not to cry.

"Yeah, but why do you even need to live in a dorm?"

Ventus looked past him, to their house. It _was_ theirs, legally speaking—though neither of them could do anything with it until they were all over twenty years old. For Sora, and his twin brother Roxas, that was still four years away.

The house had been their parents' before they died. Since then, Ventus and his brothers had lived their with their grandfather, Eraqus—though he was barely a presence in their lives. For the past five years, Ventus had basically been as much a dad as a big brother to the twins.

It wasn't like he minded. Ventus loved his brothers. It wasn't even a need for _space_ —he doubted living in a small room, with a roommate to boot, would provide more space than the massive suburban house he'd grown up in. He just _needed_ out. Maybe the fact that he couldn't even express why was part of the problem—as long as he lived here, it took all his energy to think about everything that had to be done for his brothers, and he couldn't even focus on what _he_ needed.

But that wasn't something he could say to Sora. Not without sounding like he blamed him—which he didn't. So he just plastered on a smile. "I just want the full college experience, you know? It's just one year—I can always move back home next year if I don't like it." He shrugged. "Or even before that. Grandfather wouldn't even notice if he had to pay rent even though I live here."

"I guess," Sora conceded with a pout. "I hope you do. Not that I hope things are bad at your dorm," he added in a hurry, "I just want to keep seeing you around."

"You will. I promise."

Without warning, Sora clasped his hand with a grin, and pushed something in Ventus's palm. When Sora let go, Ventus looked at it: a star charm, a Wayfinder similar to his own. All three of them owned one, but this wasn't Sora's translucent red star: this one was made of seashells, and had a cartoonish face painted on it. Ventus looked up at Sora, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"It's Kairi's," Sora said. "She gave it to me with the promise to give it back. Now you have to keep that promise to me too." He shuffled awkwardly on his feet. "And, you know, don't break it or lose it. She'd kill me."

Ventus couldn't help but grin at that. "I'll be very careful with it," he said, latching it to his keyring as he spoke—the one place he was sure not to lose it. Then, as he noted that Sora still wasn't moving, an idea came to his mind. "Do you want to come with me?"

Sora looked up at him, eyes wide. "What do you mean?"

"I've got a ton of stuff to carry to my dorm room. I could use an extra pair of hands. What do you say?"

"That'd be so cool!" Sora said, his eyes shining with excitement.

Ventus chuckled at his reaction. "Hop in," he said, moving out of the way so Sora could get inside his car. "I'll drive you back when we're done." Sora was still working on getting his license—and besides, Ventus would need the car.

"That's fine," Sora said, pulling out his cell phone. "I'll just tell Riku and Kairi to meet me on campus. Riku will be so jealous!"

Ventus climbed in the driver's seat, casting a sidelong glance at Sora. "You do realize you're just coming _with_ me, and not actually going to college yourself, right?"

"But I'll have been inside your dorm! It's _basically_ the same thing!"

"If you say so," Ventus said, letting out a gentle, indulgent laugh as he turned on the ignition.

* * *

The truth was, when Ventus had said he was only a fifteen minutes drive away, that was a generous estimate. The Departure State University campus was located on the edge of Radiant City—just on the same side of the city as their suburb in Daybreak. The Between Highway was just a few blocks from their home and led straight to the campus, making it a short drive even under bad conditions. Right now, in the middle of the afternoon at the end of the summer vacations, the road was nearly empty.

Ventus let Sora take command of the music player and listened to his new musical obsession of the moment—some kind of mixture between traditional island music and heavy synth. Ever since they'd come back from their maternal relatives' home on Destiny Island, that had been all Sora ever listened to. A connection to their roots—at least, Ventus was fairly sure that's what it was to his brother. Ventus couldn't blame him: sometimes, it was hard for him to even remember that part of his origins, since he himself had inherited their father's pale complexion and blond hair, unlike Sora and Roxas, who had gotten their Destiny Islander mother's darker coloring.

"Do you think anyone there will know who you are?" Sora asked, out of the blue, as Ventus was leaving the highway.

Ventus had wondered that himself a few times. He'd been in Radiant City a lot over the past year, but never near the university campus. Still, while Ventus had managed to avoid tabloids for most of his life, there was still a chance that people would know the heir of X-Blade Industries.

The family company was the largest employer in Radiant City—possibly in all of Departure State, really. Their grandfather Eraqus and his now-ex-husband had founded it decades ago. Then Eraqus's daughter—Ventus's mother—had developed it and pushed it past anyone's expectations. To compound to that, Ventus's father had been a professor at DSU, and his mother had made several significant contributions to the university over the years. That was a lot of connections to remain unnoticed now.

These things, Ventus knew, had all helped his application, even though he had made no mention of them himself. And he expected some of the faculty to recognize him—or at least his name—even if he hadn't seen any of them since his parents' deaths five years ago. But other students? Ventus had no idea how famous he really was. All in all, his existence in Daybreak had remained sheltered—something he'd come to realize during his year interning at the company. Everyone at his high school, and at the company, had known his family basically for as long as Ventus had been alive; he'd never even really _met_ people who didn't know who he was.

Ventus realized he'd been silent for too long when he reached the dorm's parking lot without finding an answer to Sora's question. "I don't know if they'll recognize me," he admitted.

"Do you _want_ them to?"

Ventus glanced at his brother. "What do you mean?"

"Do you want anyone to know who you are? If not, you should already figure out how you're going to introduce yourself."

"Good point," Ventus conceded. He found a spot, and pulled the car to a stop, but he didn't get out immediately. "I don't think I want people to know," he said. "I mean—not _everyone_. And not immediately. I'm sure people will find out eventually, but I'd like my first contact to be…you know, just me." Why else try to bring about some change in his life?

"I don't know if _I'd_ do that," Sora said. "But it makes sense." He laid back in his seat, casually putting his hands behind his head. "Just don't give them your full name, then. You could have tried to change your looks, if you'd thought about it before, but it's too late for that."

"Any more social advice from my baby brother?" Ventus teased.

"Don't call me that to anyone! Just act like I'm your bro or something!"

"You _are_ my brother, though."

"You know what I mean!"

Ventus chuckled. "I do. And I'm on to you. You're still sixteen, and I'm not letting you pretend to be a college student." He paused, ignoring Sora rolling his yes at him. "Actually, didn't you say Kairi's coming? Then don't get out of my sight until she's here. And if I hear you're doing anything illegal, I _will_ call you my baby brother in front of whoever you're trying to impress. And pull out the baby pictures while I'm at it." With a pointed look, he added, "They're on my cloud. I can get them on my phone anytime."

Sora rolled his eyes with an exasperated groan. " _Fine_. But you really should trust me more."

Ventus gave him a skeptical look. "Do you want a list of all the reasons I have _not_ to trust you on your own on a college campus?"

"I'm good, thanks." Sora sighed, and Ventus wondered if he wasn't just trying to delay their separation. Maybe, by playing along, Ventus was too.

"Come on," he forced himself to say. "We've got bags to unload. I'll let you carry the heavier ones, if you're so desperate to show off."

* * *

It took some time for Ventus and Sora to find the way to Ventus's assigned dorm room. And sure, most of that was Ventus's fault, since he'd forgotten to print out a campus map, or to memorize the name of the dorm he'd been assigned—although really, he should have remembered the name "King Mickey Mouse Residence", since it was pretty unique. And while he actually knew which room was his—room 7M—it turns out that the Mickey Mouse Residence's layout was a little less straightforward than he'd assumed. Rooms were organized in clusters of three, each cluster accessible via a different elevator shaft.

When they finally made it to the seventh floor of the fifth cluster, they'd been wandering around the campus for a good twenty minutes. With the afternoon summer weather beating down on them and their heavy load of Ventus's three bags and two suitcases, both Ventus and Sora were exhausted.

The dorm room was open by the time they arrived. Upon hearing he ruckus they made carrying all of Ventus's luggage out of the elevator, a young man came out.

"Hey! You guys need a hand?"

Ventus looked up at him—literally _up_. He towered over Ventus, easily a foot taller, and his build was equally massive. His brown hair was pulled back in a short, messy ponytail, though more than a few locks had escaped and stuck out at odd angles around his face, and he wore baggy, beige sweatpants and a grey T-shirt that hugged every muscle of his chest.

"Um—" Ventus found himself fumbling for words, feeling self-conscious in his sorry, sweaty state compared to the man's relaxed look. "Yeah, thanks. I'm in 7M. Are you the…um, the RA or something?"

"What? No, I'm—well, I'm your roommate, I guess. Here, let me," he said, reaching for Ventus's duffel bag. Ventus couldn't help but freeze when his fingers brushed against his shoulders, but he didn't seem to notice. "Name's Terra. I'm a senior."

"Oh. Oh, okay. I'm—I'm a freshman." Ventus had always expected his roommate would be his age. He'd even gone so far as to picture himself in a coming of age story, where he and his roommates became inseparable best friends over the course of four years of college. "My name is…" He paused, remembering his talk with Sora in the parking lot. Ventus was a distinctive first name; even if he managed to keep his last name under wraps, it would give him away. He glanced back at his brother, who shrugged apologetically. "My name's Ven," he finally settled on. No one had called him Ven since his mother, and it was weird to say the diminutive out loud, but he'd always liked it.

"Nice to meet you, Ven. But you guys should come on inside—I feel bad for you guys, carrying all that stuff."

Ventus gratefully followed him inside. When he finally laid down his bag and put his suitcase down, he let out a massive sigh of relief.

The room was bigger than he'd expected, which was probably just as well given how much he'd brought with him. There were two single beds, one on each side of the room, each with a nightstand and a desk at the foot of the bed. At the end of the room, on either side, were doors to walk-in closets—not huge, but big enough considering they wouldn't have to share. Near the entrance was a widescreen television and a couch across from it. No private bathroom—these were shared by cluster. Then again, with just three room per cluster, it wouldn't be too much of a hassle.

It was, as he'd known it would be, a step down from home, but it was nicer than he'd expected. Ventus idly wondered if the DSU faculty had assigned him to a dorm usually reserved for older, more prestige students. His roommate's age certainly seemed to point that way.

Sora introduced himself while Ventus looked around the room (as just "Ven's brother", Ventus noted, omitting the 'younger' part), and Terra took out soda cans out of a minifridge by his bed for all three of them. Ventus noted that Terra had already picked the bed on the left side of the room, and wondered if that meant anything—but then again, he didn't care about which bed was his, so he didn't comment on it.

"So, any idea what you're majoring into, Ven?" Terra asked as they sat on their respective beds, Sora by Ventus's side.

"No idea yet," he admitted. "I've got family pressure to go into business, but I'm not in any rush to decide." True enough, without the important detail that "family pressure" was his grandfather intending for him to take control a billion-dollars company.

"Business, huh? Yeah, I've been there. Though I switched to criminology before it was too late."

"Criminology?" Sora asked. "That sounds so cool!"

Terra chuckled. "Yeah, I guess it does. Business just wasn't for me, I guess. It felt like chasing a dream, you know? Ultimately you won't succeed in business because of what you learned. It's a lot more about luck and connections."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Ventus said, trying to remain noncommittal. 'Luck and connections' weren't really an issue for him. And truth be told, he really had no idea what he wanted to do; business sounded like just as good an option to try as anything else. "I still have time to…look for myself." He chuckled nervously. "That sounded less cliché in my head."

Terra, however, laughed heartily. "You're allowed to be cliché. They exist for a reason."

A buzz distracted Ventus, and he turned to Sora, who had taken his phone out again. "It's Riku," he said. "They're waiting for me outside."

Ventus couldn't help it—he stood up immediately. "I'll walk you out." Both to keep an eye on his brother, and, to be honest, so he could say goodbye to him without Terra watching. "See you later, Terra?"

Terra nodded, raising his soda can as if in cheers. "I can help you unpack when you come back, if you want. I'm done with most of my stuff."

The offer took Ventus aback, but Sora was already rushing to the elevator, so he had no time to ponder it. "Um…sure, I guess. Later."

* * *

In the lobby of the King Mickey Mouse Residence, Sora paused, and turned back to Ventus with teary eyes. It was only then that Ventus realized his brother probably wanted some privacy to say goodbye as well.

"I can't believe this is it," Sora said, his voice cracking a little.

"I'm still really close," Ventus said, reaching out to cup his brother's cheek. "If you need anything—"

"I know, I know. It's just not gonna be the same thing without you at home."

"You still have Roxas."

"But Grandpa will be the one making all the rules."

Ventus couldn't help but sigh with commiseration. "He probably won't do anything differently from when I was around. And if he does change, and you think it's not working out—" Ventus shook his head. Legally, he had no recourse—Eraqus was still the twins' legal guardian for two years, and Ventus doubted he'd cross any line that would make him lose custody. Their grandfather was severe, not abusive or negligent. "Just call. I can talk to him. Or you can at least vent at me. All right?"

Sora nodded slowly, but a few tears ran down his cheeks nonetheless. "I'm still gonna miss you."

Ventus couldn't help but feel his heart break. He pulled his brother in a tight hug. "Me too, buddy. Me too." He was pretty sure he was crying a little himself.

They stayed like this, until Sora's phone buzzed again and he pulled away like he'd been burned. He hastily wiped his face, trying to regain his composure. "Um. Thanks for the ride and everything."

Ventus smiled back at him. "Have fun. And please, stay out of trouble."

Sora chuckled. "Yes, _Dad_ ," he teased.

He walked out the residence at a brisk pace, and through the glass door, Ventus saw him meet up with his best friends, Riku and Kairi. He considered going out himself to greet them, but decided against it. He and Sora had just said goodbye—he didn't want to ruin that by forcing his presence on his friends. There would be plenty of occasions to see them again.

Turning back, he saw his elevator's doors were about to close, and ran towards it. "Hey! Hold the elevator!" he called out, and to his relief, the doors reopened.

There was only one person inside, and his looks gave Ventus pause. He was the same height as Ventus, and looked about the same age, too, but that was the end of their common ground. The boy's hair was jet black, and styled in messy, yet evidently controlled spikes. Two rings were pierced into the arch of his right eyebrow, three more in the cartilage of his right ear and another one in the lobe of his left; and there was a stud pierced into his left nostril, and another below his lower lip. A black, tribal motif was tattooed on his face, along his jawline on both sides and clawing up to his cheekbones, crawling down the left side of his neck and below his collar.

Ventus couldn't help but stare. He's never seen someone with tattoos or piercings before—not in the homogenous, upper-class suburb where he lived, and definitely not working at the X-Blade Industries offices. It looked strange to him, but an intriguing sort of strange. The piercings marked his his features, the tattoo framed the sleek shape of his jaw, highlighting his handsome looks.

The boy raised his pierced eyebrow, and Ventus realized he'd been staring.

"Um—thanks for holding the door."

A half-grin formed on the boy's lips. "Are you gonna tell me which floor you're on?"

"Oh, right. Um. Seventh floor."

"Really? Me too."

Ventus's eyes drifted to the elevator's buttons, and took in that indeed, the number seven was already lit up. "Oh. Um, okay."

The boy let out a chuckle. "Don't worry about staring. It happens a lot." Ventus turned back to him, and felt himself blushing. "At least you have the decency to feel bad about it."

"I'm sorry," Ventus mumbled. "You look great, it's just…I've never met anyone like you back home."

"Never heard that from your type of good boy," the boy teased, his grin widening. "You're lucky you're cute yourself."

Ventus was pretty sure his entire skin was going to permanently turn red at this rate. It wouldn't be his fault, if the second attractive guy he met at college started to flirt with him. "Heh. Thanks."

He managed to wait all of three seconds before looking at the boy some more. He wore a black leather jacket, with a red t-shirt underneath, which was taut over defined muscles. His jeans were made of dark grey denim, and skinny enough to reveal the exact shape of his legs—as well as a defined bulge between them. Ventus quickly looked away, clearing his throat in embarrassment that he'd even _looked_. The boy's chuckle let him know he hadn't been stealthy in the least. "You checking me out?"

Mercifully, the elevator doors opened, absolving Ventus from having to answer. He stepped out of the elevator, but just as he opened the door to his room, the boy brushed past him from behind. "See you around, 7M."


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey, Ven, you're back!"

Terra's warm greeting was only half of the cold shower Ventus—Ven, he was _Ven_ now—needed after his encounter with the boy in the elevator. His cheery tone was the exact kind of friendliness Ven tended to receive from oblivious straight boys, but—well, Terra still looked the way he looked, and it hadn't exactly escaped Ven's notice.

Trapped between two hot guys. Ventus wondered if the other three residents of their cluster would be equally attractive, or if fate would have _some_ mercy on him.

"Ven? You okay?"

Giving himself one more moment to clear his—dirty, _dirty_ —thoughts, Ventus took a deep breath and looked back at Terra, who was sitting on his bed, a laptop on his knees. "Hey. Sorry about that. I guess it's finally sinking in that I actually moved out."

"Yeah, makes sense. Where're you from, anyway?"

Ven shrugged with an apologetic smile. "Daybreak. I know, it's like ten minutes away and I'm freaking out anyway. It's ridiculous."

"Nah, it's okay. It's a milestone. And you and your brother seem close."

"We are. My other brother, too, although he couldn't make it today." Roxas's music classes had started a week ahead of the school years, and they took up his entire afternoon. The difficult life of a prodigy, as Ven liked to tease him. "What about you?"

"It's just me. No siblings, never knew my parents, and my foster folk—well let's just say I was glad to leave the system and get into college on a football scholarship. I'm not gonna see them again anytime soon. All I have is my girlfriend. She's also a student here."

"Oh." A girlfriend? Definitely straight; not that Ventus was surprised. "Sorry to hear that. Not about you having a girlfriend, I mean…the other things."

Terra chuckled. "Thanks. And it's all right. _C'est la vie_ , right? And before you ask, my girlfriend has her own place in the city, so you probably won't have to stay out of our room much." He punctuated that with a wink. "What about you? Got a girlfriend? Boyfriend?"

Ven squirmed at the phrasing of his question. He had come out to exactly two people in his life: his brothers. And since he hadn't had any boyfriends in high school, he hadn't needed to come out to anyone else. It hadn't even occurred to him he might have to make that decision on his very first day of being in college.

So he just averted it. "No one for me, no."

"Single and ready to mingle?"

Ven couldn't help but giggle at his cheesy line. "One thing at a time."

"Fair enough. There's plenty of time, right?" He closed his laptop and stood up, stretching in the process and giving Ven a good look at the muscles of his back. Football scholarship, indeed. "Just let me know if you do need the room. Just send me a text—here, you gotta have my number—" He reached out towards Ventus, and it took him a moment to realize Terra was asking for his phone. Sheepishly, Ven handed it over.

"Don't send prank texts," Ven warned, but Terra just rolled his eyes.

"Please, I'm too old for that shit. Anyway, as I said, you just send me a text. I promise I won't be mad. And if you need protection, I've got plenty of extra in my night stand."

Ven blinked at him a few times. "I _so_ did not need to know that less than an hour after meeting you," he finally said, deadpan.

Terra, however, just laughed. "Sorry. Just trying to make sure you don't have any hang-ups, you know? We're stuck together for a year, might as well not waste time dancing around each other."

Ven sighed, but he was smiling. "It's all right," he said. "You're just trying to be nice."

"Speaking of which, my offer to help you unpack still stands."

He'd been hesitant earlier, but catching a glimpse of Terra's earnest smile now, Ven couldn't help but smile back. "Yeah. I'd love that, actually. I may have packed a little too much."

Setting his mind to the task and reducing their talk to practical matters was a welcome distraction from the awkwardness of their earlier conversation. It put some distance between Terra's words and Ventus's feelings, in a way that let him think about them more earnestly. He hadn't given much thought to pursuing relationships in college, or even just casually hooking up. The latter seemed unappealing for his first time, but still. Knowing that Terra would probably give him the space he needed, _if_ he needed it, was comforting.

Besides, if he was respectful of Ven's privacy when it came to that, he hopefully wouldn't dig too deep into his family history. That was always nice to know.

Once Ventus had finished arranging his closet, he came back to find Terra crawling behind the television stand, hooking up Ven's Playstation 4. "Figured I'd take care of it," Terra said when he noticed Ven was looking at him. "Unless you mind? I probably should have asked, but I just saw your baby and I was like, _sweet_ , man."

"Oh, it's fine. As long as you don't break it, I guess."

"I would _never_!" Indeed, Terra was handling the console with so much care, it felt like it really _was_ a baby to him.

Ven chuckled. "Yeah, I believe that."

Terra looked back at him, an embarrassed grin on his face. "Am I overdoing it? Sorry, my roommate last semester didn't have anything to play on, and it made some nights so _boring_. It's part of why I requested a new roommate." He shrugged. "I know, I don't have anything either, so it's kind of petty. But, you know, Isa actually _owned_ a console, he just didn't want to bring it here because he was afraid I'd break it. Which, totally unfair."

Ven sat on his bed to catch his breath. They had somehow gone through all his bags in about an hour, and Ven felt exhausted, but satisfied with himself. "Defensive much?" he teased, then, noting Terra's indignant face, he added, "Kidding. Thanks for the help with everything. And, you know, if you _do_ break it, I'll be mad, but it wouldn't be the end of the world." It's not like he couldn't afford a replacement—or several. And his saves were pretty much all stored on the cloud anyway.

"I'll still be careful, I promise." Terra finished plugging the console, pushed the television stand back in position, and threw himself on his bed. Lazily, he reached into the minifridge and took out two more soda cans. "Want one? You can help yourself, for the record."

"Yes please," Ven said, grateful. Between his meanderings with Sora to find the room in the first place, then his embarrassment of an elevator ride, and the past hour of unpacking, he felt like he'd run a marathon. The excess sugar wouldn't hurt just this once. "So, that former roommate of yours, where is he now?"

Terra chugged from his can and lay back on his bed. "Oh, probably still somewhere in the residence. It's kind of a closed community; people usually move here after they make themselves noteworthy to the faculty one way or another. Honestly, we don't get many freshmen; I was kind of expecting my roommate to be someone I already know." He glanced at Ven. "Not that you're bad or anything. You seem pretty cool. It's just surprising is all."

Ven had surmised as much judging by the dorm's standing, but it was interesting to hear his theory confirmed. He wondered if it would make it harder to keep his family private. Still, he just shrugged. "I was just assigned this room after applying for on-campus lodging; I didn't know about—all of that." It was the truth, though he now knew exactly _why_ he'd been assigned here.

Either Terra didn't pick up on his evasive response, or he did and chose not to press. "Don't worry too much, people are pretty welcoming, for the most part. I mean, if a guy like _me_ could make it in here, they can't be _that_ elitist, right?" He chuckled. "I'll help introduce you to everyone. That way you can know who's nice and who to avoid."

"I already met one of our cluster neighbors, actually," Ventus said, without really thinking about it. "Black hair, piercings, at least one tattoo, kind of a punk-goth aesthetic going on? You might not know him, he looked my age. He's probably a freshman too."

"Nah, I think I see who you mean. Vanitas Ansem."

"Ansem? As in Dean Ansem?"

"Sort of. His dad is a distant cousin of the dean, or some shit like that. A world-class scientist, and he just happened to adopt a certified genius."

Ven couldn't help but gape in disbelief. "He doesn't really look like a genius," he couldn't help but say, even though he immediately realized how shallow that sounded.

"Yeah, well. And you're right, he's your age, but he got in here a year early, so he's a sophomore now. He also works at a lab owned by his dad from time to time, and he's got a few papers published in big-name journals. And I don't mean someone ghost wrote them. He's the real deal."

"You make him sound impressive."

"Yeah, that's the right word for it. He's a bit—difficult to talk to, though. Comes with the territory, I guess." He shrugged, though Ventus noted a tension in his voice that he couldn't make sense of. "I don't think he has any friends; he even got a special derogation to be rooming alone for his spring semester last year."

"Huh." He hadn't seemed _that_ bad from their brief interaction, embarrassing though it may have been. He had, at the very least, held the elevator for Ventus. Then again, 'not rude' was a low bar to get over. "So do you know who's in the third room in our cluster?"

"Oh, yeah, I saw them earlier. Lauriam and Ienzo. Lauriam's a senior like me. Total playboy, don't go near him if you don't like heartbreaks. Or if you're not ready to face some serious questions about your sexuality."

Ven couldn't help but chuckle. "Do I want to ask?"

Terra just shrugged. "You know. It's all on a spectrum, and we're all a little bi. I am, anyway. I'd tell you to take my word for it, but let's be honest, you'll do whatever you want. Or whatever _he_ wants. I'm here if you need a shoulder to cry on afterwards, though."

"Thanks—I think."

"Anytime. And Ienzo, he's a total nerd. He's nice enough, super quiet and introverted, but he's great at pranks. Don't worry, though, he only targets people when he knows what they're comfortable with. Which, I guess is part of being great at pranks and not just an asshole who tries to act like he's funny."

"Sounds like you have a lot of wisdom to share about all these people."

"Yep. That's me, Terra the Wise." He laughed. "Any wisdom you want to share about yourself?"

"You know the gist of it. I'm from the suburbs, and this is as far as I could move because my brothers need me. I'm still trying to figure out almost everything about myself." He deliberated silently for a moment, then figured he should at least _try_ to open up a little after everything Terra had shared. "The only thing I know is I'm gay, and even then, it's not like I've had any boyfriends back home. So, you know, no playboys for me. I'll be content with baby steps."

"That's the right decision," Terra said with a warm smile—one that said he understood how enormous what Ventus had just shared was. "Sounds to me you're pretty wise yourself."

* * *

Terra showed Ventus to a kebab place just outside of campus for dinner, then they headed back to the dorm. Part of Ven craved to explore more of Departure State University, but mostly he was just tired from the move. Plus, he still had three days to spare before classes started on Monday—plenty of time to get familiarized with the campus.

He said all of that to Terra when he asked if Ventus had plans for the evening, and Terra nodded in response. "Yeah, that's a good plan. If you're interested, though, there's a party at the residence tomorrow night—good opportunity to meet everyone, if you want."

"Tomorrow?" Ventus had looked forward to his first college party for pretty much as long as he'd received his acceptance letter from DSU. This was sudden, but he beamed at Terra's invitation. "That'd be awesome! Thanks for the heads-up."

"Good to hear," Terra said with a grin. "So, you up for anything tonight? My girlfriend's out of town until tomorrow, so I'm all yours tonight."

Ven chose to ignore the obvious opportunity for an innuendo. "In a moment. I want to check on my brother first."

"Didn't he say he was meeting with friends? I don't think he'll want you to call."

"My _other_ brother," Ven explained. "I haven't seen him all day—didn't have time to say goodbye. I know I'm close to home, but—well." It was hard to put it into words, especially to someone he barely knew, but Terra nodded. "Besides, he's been through a rough time lately." He hoped his tone made it clear he wasn't up for elaborating.

"Gotcha," Terra simply said. "You want the room to yourself while you call him?"

Ventus felt a little embarrassed, yet relieved at his offer. "Yeah, if it's no bother."

With a nod and a smile, Terra left the room, closing it softly behind him as Ventus took out his laptop and opened Skype. Instantly, a text message from Roxas showed up; they'd agreed to talk when Ven was moved in, and since he'd gone out to eat, he was a little later than planned. He started the call, and Roxas picked it up almost immediately.

"Hey there, Ro!" Ventus greeted him. As soon as he saw Ventus's tired face, he realized he'd been too chipper. His brother was a perfect mirror image of Sora, though he wore his brown hair in a neglected mop while Sora constantly experimented with new styles. At the moment, it was dripping wet—and with Roxas, evening showers usually marked the end of a bad day. "Did something happen? You usually _love_ music classes."

"Oh, no, it's not the classes. That was fine."

"So…what's wrong?" Roxas couldn't have been out of class for more than half an hour by now.

"Sora's not home."

Ventus groaned. "Didn't he warn you? I swear, I should have made sure he did—"

"He did, it's just—you know, I wanted to come to see your dorm too."

"I know, Ro," Ventus said, feeling sorry for his brother. "If you were that sad about it, I could have moved this weekend instead."

Roxas shook his head. "No, that's fine, you need the extra time on campus before classes. I mean, I hope you let me visit eventually, but it's okay. It's just—I miss you, but I was hoping Sora would be home with me tonight."

Ventus sighed. "I'm sorry, Roxas. You know your brother; he probably didn't mean to leave you on your own."

"Yeah. I know. I feel selfish for even telling you."

"Aw, come on now, don't be ridiculous. It's okay that you don't want to be alone." He considered telling Roxas what he'd told Sora—that he could always come back to live at home if they needed him—but he abstained from it. Ven had already told him that when thy first talked about him moving, and Roxas would see his repetition as patronizing. Still, he felt the need to _hint_ at it, at least. "If it ever becomes too much—"

"I'll tell you. Of course I will."

"Great," Ventus said, smiling.

"So how's college?" Roxas asked, out of the blue, trying and failing to smile back.

Ven was tempted to ignore the obvious distraction, but he could take a hint to respect his brother's space. "It's fine—you know, what I've seen so far. I met my roommate, he's a senior, so he can show me around and introduce me to everyone." He paused. "I decided to go by Ven for now. Sora inspired the idea, kind of." He noticed Roxas's sharp intake of breath at his brother's mention, and winced at the slip. "That way I don't have to talk about our family or the company any more than I want to. We'll see how long it lasts."

"Just make sure Sora doesn't go around advertising who he is."

"He went off-campus with Riku and Kairi," Ven said. He'd enabled location sharing between his and his brothers' phones—with their approval, of course. More often than not, he had to use it to check on Sora. "So I think I'm safe for tonight."

"I hope you get to make friends before it comes out."

"Yeah, me too." The few friends he'd had in high school, he'd already lost most contact with over the summer. This was no surprise—none of them had been particularly _close_ friends, and they had all moved far away from Daybreak or Radiant City. "What about you? Any new faces in music classes?"

Roxas shook his head. "I wish." Roxas played three instruments—clarinet, violin and piano—for which he took private lessons, and he also took classes to play as part of an orchestra, but everyone there was a few years older than him, and Ventus knew he had trouble fitting in.

"Maybe you should reconsider joining the school band."

Roxas scoffed. "I think I'd rather cut off my own fingers than join _those_ snobs."

"All right, all right," Ven said, laughing. "You know, I think we should just promise each other to make new friends this semester."

"You know you _can't_ actually plan for that, right?" Roxas retorted, but he was stifling a laugh as he did.

"Oh, so you _can_ still smile," Ventus teased. "It's all about putting yourself out there, right?"

"I don't think either of us would really know how to make close friendships," Roxas said, deadpan.

Ventus laughed again at his quip. "Maybe not."

"We _could_ ask Sora for advice."

"Better not. Can you imagine? If all three of us became like Sora, we'd probably end up in a ditch within a week."

Roxas cracked up, and finally burst out laughing. "We shouldn't be mean to him behind his back."

"He knows we love him," Ventus said, grinning.

"Yeah, I guess so." Roxas sighed.

Just then, the door opened, and Terra peeked in. "Can I come in?"

"Sure, just a sec." Ventus glanced at Roxas. "My roommate's here. Talk to you later?"

"Yeah, I should make myself dinner anyway. Don't be a stranger, _Ven_ ," he said, and he ended the call.

There was something odd about hearing his brother use the nickname—one they hadn't used in years—but it felt like a step forward for them, too. Like he was moving on with his life. He just hoped Roxas could do the same.

"Everything okay with your brother?" Terra asked as he made his way across the room.

"Oh, yeah. He was just sad he couldn't come with Sora and me." At least, Ventus hoped that's all it was.

"Good, good. So, I was thinking of turning in early, do you mind?"

Ventus shook his head absently, opening his browser and email almost as a reflex. "Yeah, I was just planning on checking social media and stuff."

"And—I usually sleep in my underwear, is that a problem?"

Part of Ventus felt nervous at the question, but Terra's phrasing made him more annoyed than anything. He looked up at him, frowning. "A 'problem'?"

"You know, because you're gay?"

"Isn't it supposed to be the other way around? The straight guy has the problem undressing in front of the gay guy?"

"I'm not totally straight, though."

"And do _you_ have a problem if I say I sleep in my underwear? Which, for the record, I usually do too."

Terra froze, then sighed. "Point taken." He chuckled. "Just thought I'd check if you're comfortable with it. Sorry if I offended you or something."

Ventus shook his head. "No, it's fine." He returned his attention to the screen—though he had a hard time not checking out Terra as he was undressing in his periphery.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day went by in a flash, as Terra toured the DSU campus with him. Ventus had been on the official campus tour before he'd applied, of course; and years ago, back when his father was a professor here, he'd come regularly as well. But all he'd seen at the time were places where a child could wait for his dad, or major landmarks to impress applicants and their family.

Terra had the more practical outlook Ven still needed. Information needed to _live_ on campus. Places to eat, places to avoid, how to orient himself around campus…there was a lot Ven didn't know.

With so much to see, evening came fast—and so did time for the party at the King Mickey Mouse Residence.

That evening, Ventus learned something about himself. It was one thing to fantasize about college parties at home, or to get excited when Terra invited him to one. It was another entirely for him to actually _feel_ ready for said party. Even after Terra assured him it was a casual get-together—basically just an excuse for the old residents to catch up and meet the few new arrivals—Ventus felt a nervous urge to find a pretext to back down.

Even once he was dressed for the party—just a white dress shirt and grey jeans, since Terra had insisted at length how _casual_ the whole affair would be—he still had to force himself to walk out of his room after Terra. _It's just a party_ , he told himself, to no avail. _You've been to parties before._

He still hadn't met any of his cluster neighbors since his brief interaction with Vanitas, but as he and Terra waited for the elevator, the door across the hall from the elevator opened, and a young man walked out. Slightly shorter than Ventus, he was clad all in black, with a strict vest over his shirt. His silver hair was brushed forward, falling across half of his face and partly hiding his eye. He was carrying a small tablet, but when he caught sight of Terra and Ventus, he tucked it back in a satchel slung over his shoulder.

"Hey, Ienzo," Terra greeted him. "His Grace isn't joining us tonight?"

Ienzo rolled his eyes—well, eye, as far as Ventus could see. "Lauriam's on the rooftop."

Ventus frowned at that. "Rooftop? I thought the party was in the lobby?"

Ienzo focused his attention on him then, raising an eyebrow. "Terra's new roommate, I take it?"

"Call me Ven." He held out a hand, hoping to keep the introduction as short as possible. "Terra already told me about you and Lauriam. Why's he on the rooftop?"

"Gardening."

"Though," Terra interjected, "I'm sure if you wait long enough, he'll be up to something else up there. Or _someone_ else."

Ienzo shrugged. "I wish I could chalk it up to you being bitter, but you're probably right."

"He can't be _that_ bad," Ven offered.

"You're right," Ienzo said, deadpan. "At least he doesn't use our room. I'd hate being locked out on a daily basis." The elevator doors opened, and he shrugged as he entered. "Look, Lauriam's my friend. And really, he's not doing anything _wrong_ , per se."

Terra huffed. "You mean aside from the string of broken hearts—"

"It's my understanding he's always very clear about his long-term relationship goals. Or lack thereof." Ienzo cast Terra a pointed look, as if challenging him to deny it. "It's just hard not to comment on how…active one man's libido can be. Especially when it gets disruptive of your own life." Ven stared intently, waiting for him to explain himself, but he shook his head. "You don't want to know."

* * *

All thoughts of the infamous Lauriam faded when the elevator doors opened. The lobby was packed, and the sheer size of the residence finally became more apparent as Ventus's gaze glided over the crowd.

He followed Terra around at first, meeting new faces with each step and trying his best to commit each name to memory. To each and every one of them, he introduced himself as Ven, never offering a last name, and nobody asked. Then again, judging by Terra's comments, the few people who offered their own last names were doing so in an attempt to impress him—the very thing Ven was trying to avoid.

Of course, they had no way of knowing just how futile that was for Ventus. He was certain he'd met with the parents of at least three of them while interning at X-Blade Industries—with his grandfather leading the conversation, of course—and they had all shown _him_ deference. He'd felt uncomfortable back then, but was mostly unfazed now, when their children or younger relatives acted like Venus was below their notice.

The anonymity felt nice, for the time being. He could meet people who wouldn't look at him and see his family. It was little more than an experiment, one he'd more or less improvised thanks to Sora, but it was paying off. He felt more at ease with each new encounter, more in his element and less like he was about to crack under the pressure.

Terra hadn't lied about this being casual, though; those few snobs aside, most people welcomed Ventus to the residence with unreserved warmth. He learned who knew the best places to eat at around campus, who organized study groups and tutoring, who had notes that Ventus could borrow if he took the same classes…so many things, he was fairly certain it would all end up blurred in his mind the next day. But he appreciated Terra for trying, and for being his guide through the night.

They took a break by the bar, where Terra grabbed a beer and handed Ventus a soda cup.

"No drinks if you're underage while you're at the Residence," he said. "You don't want to get kicked out, trust me." He winked. "If you want to try stuff out, I can show you where to go some other time, kay?"

Ventus sheepishly reached for the soda. Truth be told, he hadn't really thought about drinking any alcohol tonight, but he figured there was no point arguing about that. "Um, sure, maybe."

"As long as you promise to be responsible about it."

It took all of Ven's effort to stifle an amused snort. He'd had plenty of opportunities to drink before—a perk of attending company events as the CEO's grandson. The idea of drinking had lost some of its controversial allure, when his first memories of it were tied to his grandfather's serious eyes keeping track of him all evening. And Terra acting pretty much the same way made him wonder if he'd really be the best person to bring him somewhere he could have a drink and let loose, or if he'd just end up forcing Ventus to stay in control.

Ven didn't mention any of that. Instead, he just took a sip, then put the cup down. "The hell is that? It's gross!"

Terra chuckled. "Yeah, they don't really invest in quality soft drinks, even here. I can get you some water instead, if you want." Just then, his gaze moved to a point behind Ventus. "Oh, there's Aqua. Do you mind if I—"

Aqua was Terra's girlfriend; Ven was curious to meet her, but he surmised that Terra wanted a moment alone with her first. "Yeah, go. I'll get myself that water, we can always meet back here."

"All right." Terra smiled, then headed across the lobby.

Ventus turned to the bar, and found it surrounded by a gaggle of thirsty residents all waiting to get their drinks. There didn't appear to be any kind of system; most of them didn't even clear the area once they had a drink in hand. And, well, Ven had never considered himself _short_ before, but pretty much everyone in front of him was at least half a foot taller, making it almost impossible to even see the bar from where he stood.

Ven tried to find an opening to slip through, to no avail; then he tried politely asking people to move, but they didn't even seem to notice him. He tried elbowing his way through the crowd, attracting a couple glares as he did, but even then, he was stuck just short of the bar.

"How did Terra even get us anything?" he said to himself—out loud, but too quiet for anyone to hear over the ambient buzz of conversations.

And yet, just then, a hand grasped his upper arm. " _There_ you are!" a voice followed, ringing loud in spite of the noise—familiar, though Ven couldn't place it. The people who stood between Ventus and the bar turned for a brief moment, stepped aside, and the hand on Ventus's arm pulled him forward to the bar.

He nearly tripped, but the hand held him steady. Ventus looked up, and his eyes fell on the unforgettable tattoo first, before taking in the rest of his helper's face. "Vanitas," he let out, incredulous. He hadn't even known Vanitas was at the party—Terra hadn't mentioned him, nor had anyone they'd talked to. Not that there was any reason anyone _should_ have mentioned him, Ventus guessed, but he still felt surprised, for some reason he couldn't place. Maybe he couldn't imagine Vanitas _not_ being the center of the attention. Was that his suburban inexperience talking again?

"7M," Vanitas replied, flatly.

Ventus blinked, then realized Vanitas was referring to his room number. "Ah—it's Ventus. Ven," he corrected, but he'd already let it slip.

"Ventus," Vanitas said, enunciating the name with a leisurely smile. "I assume you wanted a drink?"

It took a moment for Ventus to remember that _was_ indeed why he'd come. "Uh—yeah. Thanks for the help, by the way." He had no idea how Vanitas had even seen him coming—they were the same height, and Ventus sure hadn't been able to see _him_ amidst all these ridiculously tall students.

"Sure. You looked like you could use it."

Ventus nodded absently, but he focused on trying to catch the barista's attention. Unfortunately, he was just perpetually glossing over Ventus and moving to take someone else's order.

He almost jumped when Vanitas spoke again. "What're you having? I think I'll have an easier time calling him over."

Ven turned to him again, holding back an irritated quip at the implication. "Just—water, I guess."

Vanitas raised an eyebrow. "You know you could have just gone to any tap for that, right? Come on, it's open bar. There's gotta be something else you want."

"Well, their soda is disgusting, and I'm under drinking age, so—"

"Oh, _of course_ ," Vanitas cut him off with a smirk. "Wouldn't want to risk getting kicked out, right?" Then, smoothly, that smirk turned into a more genuine half-smile—Ven wasn't really sure what the difference was, or how he could even tell, but it was there. "I know just the thing." He barely raised a hand, and the barista zoomed over to him. "Two more of the same, please."

The barista nodded, and a moment later, laid two full glasses in front of them. Ventus glanced at them, hesitant. "This _is_ non-alcoholic, right?" he asked, and miraculously, the barman paid attention to him this time.

"Yup. 'Cuddles on the Beach'. It's a non-alcoholic 'Sex on the Beach'. Because—"

"Yeah, I got it," Ventus cut him off. "Thanks."

Even with the barista's assurance, he couldn't help but cautiously sniff at the drink, and take a small sip first, just to be safe. "This is really good," he let out.

Beside him, Vanitas scoffed. "I'll try not to be offended that you're so shocked."

"No, I'm—" Ventus cut himself off, because—well, he _was_ surprised. "Okay, I'm sorry."

"You're lucky you're too cute," Vanitas said, grinning. "I can't stay mad at you, _Ventus_." There it was again—he said his name with such _care_ , like he was tasting it. It was destabilizing.

Ventus looked down, trying not to blush, and his eyes fell on the leather jacket Vanitas was wearing—the same as the previous day. It was zipped all the way up, and he wore thick leather boots over his skinny jeans. "Don't you ever get hot with that hing on?" he said, just to find _anything_ to say and move on from Vanitas's…was it flirting? Ven wasn't even sure.

A devilish grin formed on Vanitas's lips, and Ventus realized his mistake a moment too late. "I'm _always_ hot."

He had said it with utter conviction, but the way he held his smile, just a little too long, made Ventus realize he wasn't completely serious, and that made him crack up. "Thanks for the drink, Vanitas," he said, suddenly feeling much less tense. He turned away from the bar, but the crowd hadn't thinned, and he felt weary just at the thought of crossing it again.

He almost jumped—again—when Vanitas's hand closed around his forearm. "I'll walk you out." His grasp was gentle, but firm, and without waiting for Ventus to answer, he cleared his throat and took one step forward. Almost immediately, the people standing in his way moved, clearing a path. It was all Ventus could do but follow, looking with amazement at Vanitas. Out the corner of his eyes, he noted that none of the people who had moved were looking at them—as if they were avoiding to look at them, even.

"You know," he said once they'd cleared the bar area, "it almost looks like all these people are _scared_ of you."

Vanitas met his gaze steadily. "Are _you_ scared of me?"

Ven looked down, at Vanitas's hand still on his arm. It was still gentle. "I don't think so," he said, feeling almost surprised to admit it. Then, with a frown, he added, "But I barely know you."

"Most relationships here are built on reputation. Some are serial playboys. Some have family names. Some are just the friendliest people, like your roommate. That's why you're invisible to them—you don't have a reputation yet."

Ven frowned. "What's yours?"

To his disappointment, Vanitas grinned and shrugged. "How would _I_ know? Ask around." He let go of Ventus's arm, and walked away.

Before Ventus could decide if he should follow him and ask for more, he heard Terra's voice calling. "Ven! There you are!"

Ventus glanced at him briefly, but he couldn't help but stare at the back of Vanitas's head. It took him a moment longer to tear his gaze away from him. "Hey. Sorry, I—" Terra was with a young woman, her hair a stark royal blue and cut short. "Hi, you must be Aqua, right?"

"And you're Ven," she said. "Nice to meet you."

"Was that Vanitas?" Terra asked.

"Yeah, I ran into him at the bar. He recommended a drink to me," Ven said, holding up his cocktail.

Terra raised his eyebrows. "Huh. Didn't even know he attended residence parties."

"Tell me about it," Aqua said. "I thought he only went to more…hardcore stuff. I've only ever seen him in class, myself."

"I don't know," Ven said. "He seems all right." He briefly considered asking them what Vanitas had meant about his reputation, then decided it wasn't worth it. Intriguing as Vanitas was, he wasn't Ventus's roommate—or his roommate's girlfriend. "Whatever. Tell me more about you, Aqua."

* * *

Around midnight, the party was still going strong, but Ventus's sleep schedule caught up to him. Unlike—he assumed—most of his peers, he'd spent most of summer working in an office, which had meant waking up early to drive into Radiant City and going to sleep early. And with his move just the day before, he was just plain tired.

"I'm gonna turn in for the night," he told Terra and Aqua, apologetic. "Can't start classes by needing to catch up on sleep, you know?"

"You sure?" Terra asked. "There's still all weekend to catch up on sleep."

Beside him, Aqua laughed. "Don't lead him down that road, Terra. You should follow his example instead. Try putting in _some_ effort, this year."

Terra rolled his eyes. "Do you _want_ me to leave this party right now and go to sleep?"

Aqua met his gaze with a fond smile. "Definitely not." She turned back to Ventus. "Still, that's a responsible choice."

Ventus couldn't help but chuckle—he'd never thought of himself as responsible before. "It was nice meeting you, Aqua," he said, hoping it would sound as genuine as he felt.

"Is it okay if I come back late?" Terra asked as Ventus walked away. "Like…way late? I might wake you up."

Ventus shrugged. "It's fine. I can fall back asleep easily." With Sora as his brother, that was a skill he'd learned out of necessity.

"All right," Terra said. "Good night, Ven."

"Yeah, you too."

The lobby felt even more full than it had been when Ventus had first arrived at the party—or maybe being tired just made it seem that way. It forced him to walk at a slow crawl of a pace, barely moving towards the elevators with each step, constantly dodging and side-stepping people who never seemed to notice him—even those Terra had introduced him to earlier.

When he finally made it into the elevator, he closed his eyes, feeling just about ready to drop from exhaustion. When he heard a familiar calling for the elevator, he barely reacted fast enough to press the button and keep the doors open.

Vanitas walked in, looking somewhere between bored and annoyed. When he noticed Ventus, though, he had a small, tired smile. "I guess we're even now, Ventus."

"Just Ven, please," he insisted. Noting Vanitas's frown, he figured it would be best to explain. "I don't want people to know my full name just yet. It's—complicated." He paused, furiously trying to find a way to distract Vanitas from asking any follow-up questions. "And we're not even until I get you a drink at a crowded bar," he said, before he realized the obvious implication.

Vanitas, of course, didn't miss it. "If you're asking me out, I'd rather you don't do it out of a sense of obligation," he said, grinning.

"I—" Ventus froze, feeling himself blush once more. "I just mean—because you did that earlier—"

"Don't worry, I know what you mean," Vanitas said with a wink. "Though if you ever want to get a drink—"

Ventus was still trying to figure out if he was serious when the elevator doors opened. "Um," he said, feeling stupid. "I—don't know?"

"Relax, you don't have to answer right away."

"Right," was all Ventus managed to say. He wasn't sure why he couldn't really formulate a more coherent thought—maybe he was just tired. "I really need to sleep," he said, exiting the elevator…

…only to realize he hadn't taken his room key with him when he and Terra had left for the party. It was still inside, and the door was locked.

"Oh, for _fuck's_ sake," he said, softly. He didn't feel like he still had the energy to go back to the party and ask Terra for his key—and besides, then Terra would be locked out, unless Ven forced him to leave the party as well, and he didn't feel like doing that.

"You okay?" Vanitas's voice caught his attention—he had frozen halfway to his own room, Ventus realized.

"Forgot my key," he said, unable to hold back his irritation—not just at having forgotten, but that Vanitas was there to see it. "I know, I'm stupid, I—"

"Do you want to come in my room?"

Ventus gaped at him, incredulous. "What?"

"So you don't have to wait for your roommate out here," Vanitas said, and for the first time, Ventus heard a hint of hesitation in his voice. "Or—if you need to crash. I don't have a roommate, but there are still two beds in my room."

"Um, I—" Something about Vanitas's offer felt like the start of a horror story. "I don't know?"

"Look, I know I've been flirting with you, but I'm not trying to take advantage of you here." He paused. "I made you uncomfortable, didn't I? You're probably straight."

"No, I—" Ventus blinked, trying to process the fact that yes, he _had_ been flirting with him. "I wasn't uncomfortable. I'm just not used to it. But I don't want to impose." He searched for his words, for a clever way to say this, then gave up. "And—I'm not. Straight, I mean."

"Oh." Vanitas stared at _him_ , this time, albeit briefly. "Well, either way. No pressure or anything. And you wouldn't be imposing; I'm offering."

Ven hesitated for a moment, then considered his alternatives—none of which seemed appealing—and shrugged. "All right. Just let me text Terra so he knows where to find me." Just in the off-chance that this _was_ , in fact, the start of a horror story.

"All right," Vanitas said, and he finally moved again, walking to his door.

 _Forgot my keys_ , Venus typed on his phone. _Crashed in Vanitas's room. You don't have to leave the party if you don't want to._ He sent the message to Terra, and looked up, but Vanitas had already vanished inside of his room, leaving the door open behind him.

He entered the room gingerly, curious yet nervous to come in. He heard Vanitas in one of the closets, but he was too busy gawking at the rest of the room to wonder what he was doing.

The residence rooms were standardized, all perfect replicas of one another, and since most people had to share the space with a roommate, decoration options were limited. But Vanitas didn't have to deal with that, and he'd made full use of his privacy. Three band posters Ventus didn't recognize hung on the wall near the entrance, all of them signed. The television was barely visible, as the desk it rested on was buried in books; and there was a bigger bookshelf in front of one of the closet doors—the one meant for Vanitas's nonexistent roommate, Ventus guessed. A thick, luscious vine crept along the side of that shelf, though upon closer inspection, Ventus was fairly sure it was actually made of plastic. The potted plant next to it, though—Ventus didn't know its name, but its flowers were a gradient of red and black—he was certain was very much alive. The two beds had been pushed together; next to them, by the window, stood a telescope on a tripod.

Ventus couldn't help but look at the telescope closer, feeling a mixture of wonder and sadness. As a child, when his mother left home to go to work, she used to say, "We share the same sky. One sky, one destiny." A simple philosophy to comfort her children. After she died, Ventus had found some solace looking at the sky, wondering if his parents were still sharing the same sky, and if that meant they were still connected, somehow. It had started an interest in astronomy that he'd kept to this day.

"You've exposed me; I'm secretly a nerd."

Startled, Ven turned around—he hadn't heard Vanitas coming out of his closet. He had taken off his jacket and boots; all he still wore were a pair of black pajama pants, and a faded crimson tee. It was too small, shrunken from years of use and washing, and Ventus couldn't keep his eyes off the skin of Vanitas's stomach it left exposed. It was smooth, slightly tanned, revealing defined abs. Something was tattooed over his right hip—a blue creature Ventus couldn't identify. Its muzzle pointed at Vanitas's navel, as if to lead Ventus's gaze to it, and to the glinting barbell pierced into it.

Ventus realized he'd taken a step towards Vanitas while staring at the piercing. He closed his eyes, clearing his throat and trying not to die of embarrassment. When he opened his eyes, however, Vanitas didn't look about to tease him; instead, he shifted on his feet, as if he was waiting for Ventus to pass judgment.

"Aren't you a certified genius?" Ven finally managed to say. "Is it really that much of a secret that you're a nerd?" Before Vanitas could answer, he turned back to the telescope. "Honestly, I was just admiring your gear. It's the newest SkyQuest, right?" The highest-quality telescope out there, as far as Ventus was aware—and not a cheap one, either. Vanitas might have bought it for the show, but looking at the rest of the room and Vanitas's own reaction, Ven doubted it.

For a moment, Vanitas remained silent, until Ventus turned back to him. "Yeah," he finally said. "It just arrived a couple days ago—I barely had the time to try it out."

"Well"—Ventus looked out the window—"it doesn't look like tonight's the night, does it?" He shrugged. "I kind of wish I'd thought to bring my telescope."

Vanitas made a surprised frown. "You're into astronomy too?"

Ven nodded. "I should bring it with me the next time I go home. I don't live far away from campus. Maybe we can get together one night," he said, waving at the telescope. He felt flustered just suggesting it, but he didn't want to back out.

At least Vanitas looked equally flustered. "Maybe."

Silence stretched out between them for a moment, until Ventus broked out into a yawn he couldn't stifle. "Sorry," he said. "I haven't slept this late in a while." He sighed, and rubbed a hand over his face, trying to wake himself up. "I hope Terra—" he started, checking his phone as he did. Terra hadn't replied, though Ventus's message was marked as read.

"Party's far from over," Vanitas pointed out. "You should just sleep here."

Ventus hesitated, nervous at the thought of sleeping in a bed that wasn't his own on just his second day at college. Yet he could barely keep his eyes open, and Vanitas's more nervous attitude somehow made Ventus feel more at ease around him. "I—if you're sure it's not a problem."

"I'm sure. There's plenty of room." He waved at the beds, as if Ventus could have missed them. "Just pick whichever you want. If you want, we can push them apart."

"It's okay," Ven said. He walked over to the nearest one and sat down on it.

"Do you want to borrow something to sleep in?"

Ventus hesitated, looking down at the dress shirt he was still wearing, but he shook his head. "It's fine. It'll just be rumpled in the morning. You've done enough." Besides, he wasn't sure he could force himself to stand up again. "Thanks, Vanitas." With that, he toed off his shoes and lay down, pulling the covers over him.

He heard a faint chuckle, and the sound of Vanitas slipping under the blankets of the other bed. "Sure thing, Ventus."

Ven felt like protesting, but he'd already closed his eyes and he was too tired to open them again.


	4. Chapter 4

Ventus woke up with sunlight over his face, groaning at the sudden discomfort. His eyes snapped open, and for a moment, he felt disoriented at his unfamiliar surroundings. Then he remembered the party, and being locked out of his room, and Vanitas offering him a place to crash.

His gaze then fell on the boy sleeping across from him—barely one or two feet apart. Vanitas's face hadn't lost any of its intriguing allure while he was sleeping; whatever magnetic pull Ventus felt towards him, it was more than just attitude. He'd kicked off his blanket in his sleep, and again, his shirt exposed the hard muscles of his stomach, the tattoo and piercing there, and Ventus allowed himself to admire it, this time.

Vanitas had admitted to flirting with him the night before. Besides, Ventus had more or less accidentally asked him out twice, and he hadn't turned him down either time. He was handsome, and nice enough, and they had at least one interest in common.

But there was the issue of how everyone had acted around him. How Terra—by Vanitas's own admission, one of 'the most friendly people'—wasn't friends with him. It wasn't that Ventus trusted Vanitas's reputation over his own experiences with him, not exactly. But it made him wary. All in all, he barely knew Vanitas. The last thing he should do was start fantasizing about doing on a date with him, or imagine _dating_ him, or—

Of course, by telling himself not to do it, Ventus couldn't help but think about it. Groaning, he looked away from Vanitas, and sat up in the bed. He looked down at his clothes, and—yep, it'd take some serious work ironing this shirt at some point.

There were a couple texts from Terra on his phone. The first was from late last night: _In Vanitas's room? Everything ok?_ And the second, from this morning, _I'll be in all day, so come back whenever_.

Sighing, Ventus wondered if he'd made Terra worry by spending the night here. In any case, he should head back to his own room—if only so get his key back and change clothes. Still, glancing back at Vanitas's sleeping form, he hesitated. He wasn't sure what the etiquette was here; he didn't want to appear ungrateful by vanishing before Vanitas was even up.

He didn't have to wonder for long: Vanitas stirred just as he was hesitating to leave.

"Hey," Ventus greeted, feeling suddenly awkward, considering what he'd just been thinking about.

Vanitas only groaned back, burying his face in his pillow. His hair, normally styled with such precision, was a true mess now, Ventus noticed, amused.

"Um—thanks for letting me crash," he said quietly.

"Yeah, of course," Vanitas replied, his voice muffled by the pillow.

He didn't move, and for a moment, Ventus thought he'd fallen back asleep. "So—I think I'll just go," he said, quietly.

Vanitas groaned again, but at least it meant he'd heard him. "Sure. See you around."

"Yeah, see you around." He hesitated, then took a deep breath. "Maybe for stargazing night?"

There was no answer, and after a moment Ven noticed that his breathing reverted to its deep, regular quality—he'd already gone back to sleep. Chiding himself for even asking, Ventus got up. Cautiously, he walked over to the window and closed the curtains, hoping Vanitas would appreciate the gesture. Then, trying his best not to make any noise, he found his shoes on the floor, picked them up, and walked outside the room, making sure to close the door silently behind him.

* * *

Terra all but jumped on him as soon as he entered their room.

"You all right, Ven? When I got your text, I almost came right up to get you."

Ventus backed away a little, surprised by Terra's tone. "I'm—fine. Vanitas just happened to be there when I realized I forgot my keys inside. I was gonna wait for you in his room, but—I was too tired to stay up."

Terra raised an eyebrow. "And—that's it?" he asked, dubious.

"That's it." Ven shrugged. "He was just being nice."

Terra didn't seem swayed. "That's new."

"Is it? He was also nice at the party, when I couldn't get to the bar—"

"So you didn't just _run into_ him, huh?"

"Terra, what's the big deal?" Ven asked, a little more forceful than intended. "What's wrong with Vanitas?"

"I'm just—looking out for you. I thought—I don't know, I thought he was—"

"Taking advantage of me?" Ventus said, unable to hold back his sarcastic tone.

"Well, he did get you a drink—"

"He just _ordered_ it. From the bar. He never even touched it." He scoffed. "If it really _was_ that bad, you would have left the party." At least, Ven hoped so. "So what _is_ it? Is it his reputation? Is it something personal? Did he break your heart, like Lauriam?"

"No, that's not—" Terra sighed. "I mean, the guy does have a reputation that you shouldn't mess with him, but as far as I know, he's never… _hurt_ anybody. As for broken hearts, if he's been with anyone over the past year, he's kept it under wraps."

"Just _tell me_ already!"

Terra fell silent for a moment. "It's about how he pays his tuition."

"His—what the hell?"

"I told you about Isa, my roommate last semester. Before him, I had another one, Zack. He was my roommate since we got accepted to the residence. The reason I got another one was Zack dropped out to go to rehab."

Ventus frowned. "He had an addiction problem?"

"I told you Vanitas is a certified genius, and he works at his father's lab. Well, that's how he paid for his tuition. He's created some new drug, and his father's lab sells it. They call it Unbirth, because…I don't know, some metaphor shit about what it makes you feel. It's so different from anything out there, it's completely unregulated, so it's technically legal for them to do so."

Ventus could guess where this was headed. "And Zack got hooked on it."

Terra nodded. "I told you I tried to be friends with Vanitas. But after Zack—I couldn't."

"But—you just said his father's lab sold it, not him."

"Does it _matter_? He created it, he benefits from it. He gets his share of the blame."

Ventus looked away, his head reeling with information. He pushed past Terra, and sat down on his bed. "Look, I get it, but—"

"I thought he was gonna make _you_ try some."

Ven let out a nervous laugh—he couldn't help it. "And you thought I would have?"

Terra shifted uncomfortably, and sat down across from Ventus. "I don't know. Maybe I'm overreacting, but you can't blame me for worrying."

"Well, I'm fine, and I didn't take any drugs. We barely talked before I fell asleep." He paused. "I get what your problem is. And—thanks for letting me know."

Now that the adrenaline of arguing with Terra was fading, he found himself wondering what to do with the information. Or even how he felt about it. In a way, 'Secret drug dealer' fit more with Vanitas's overall image than anything Ventus himself had observed about him—but then again, that might just be his own prejudice speaking. Then again, he'd seen inside Vanitas's room, and none of that matched with that image either. Then again, his father was the one selling his creation.

 _Then again_ , as Terra had said, he'd created it in the first place.

"I should have told you yesterday," Terra said. "I just didn't expect him to be… _nice_ to you. He's not exactly introverted, from what I've seen of him at parties, but—well, he's not usually friendly, either. So I didn't think you needed to know, you know?"

Ventus nodded. "Yeah, it's fine. I get it." He sighed. "You know what? This is too much of a mess, and way too trivial to ruin my Saturday morning."

"'Trivial'?" Terra asked, incredulous.

"I don't mean to say—" Ven just had a way of putting his foot in his mouth recently, didn't he? "I'm basically just a stranger to all of this. Vanitas offered me a place to crash, and that's the end of that. It doesn't really… _matter_ , what I think of him, you know? It's not like I'm his friend." He didn't mention his earlier fantasizing about dating Vanitas—that felt like it had taken place on another day, not less than twenty minutes ago. And he felt foolish for doing that with someone he barely knew, regardless of what shady dealings he may be involved in. "Can we just—move on and forget it happened?"

Terra observed him for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. That's fair. And I'm sorry I blew up at you like that."

"It's fine. You were worried." Ventus could empathize with that, having had to take care of his brothers almost by himself for years. Although he wasn't sure where Terra got it from. "Anyway. I need a shower, and a change of clothes. Maybe we can finally have that gaming time you've been begging me for since I got here afterwards?"

* * *

Gaming was a perfect way to defuse whatever tension remained between Ventus and Terra after their argument. Ventus had suggested Overcooked, because it was the only co-op game installed on his Playstation and he figured it'd be better to help them relax than playing against one another. And…well, Terra wasn't exactly good at helping in a stylized kitchen, but then again, neither was Ven, so at least there was no room for pointing fingers when they inevitably failed—repeatedly.

They lasted for all of two hours—plus a break to go get breakfast at the residence's food court—before Ventus's phone buzzed. He looked at it, ready to ignore the call, but when he saw his grandfather's name on the screen, he had to pick up. He practically _never_ called—it had to be something important.

"Do you know where your brother is?" Eraqus's voice rang loud as soon as he picked up.

For a brief moment, Ventus panicked. "Did something happened with Roxas?" Ever since their Skype call, the idea of Roxas relapsing as a result of Ventus moving out had been at the back of his mind.

Yet, he realized, Eraqus's tone had been steady—the exact kind of steady that marked stifled annoyance.

"No, I'm calling about Sora," he said. "He didn't come home last night." Ventus felt a sigh escape him before he could hold it, which didn't escape Eraqus. "It's nothing to celebrate, Ventus. I need your help finding him."

"I'll be right over. Shouldn't be more than twenty minutes to get home." He hung up before his grandfather could say anything more, with another, weary sigh.

"Everything okay?" Terra asked.

"I don't know," Ventus confessed, opening his Find My Phone app. "Sora didn't sleep at home, my grandfather's worried—" The app finished syncing, and Ventus clicked on Sora's phone, which showed up as an icon on the map at a familiar address. "It's nothing," he said. "He's just over at his friend's place."

"Then—why do you have to drive there?"

"My grandfather doesn't know my brothers share their location with me," Ven explained as he went into his closet to grab some shoes. "And I don't want him to know. Besides, I'd rather be there when Sora gets home. I don't want him facing our grandfather alone."

Terra made a soft whistle. "That bad, huh?"

"He's just—really strict. Sorry I have to cut our gaming time short."

"It's okay. You sure you don't need any help?"

Ventus briefly froze at the thought of taking Terra to meet his family—or see where he lived. It wouldn't take much from there to him finding out who Ventus was. "No, I'm good. Sora probably just didn't hear his alarm this morning. Usually he sneaks back into the house without our grandfather noticing."

"If you're sure. Let me know if you need anything."

Ventus grabbed his keys, and stopped in front of the door, turning back to smile at Terra briefly. "Will do, thanks."

* * *

Ventus had purposefully inflated the time it would take him to get home, so he could make a detour by Riku's house first. He didn't ring the doorbell, not wanting to bother Riku's parents; instead, he just parked in front of the house, and called Sora's cell phone. He's already sent him a text before he'd even left DSU; Sora knew to expect him.

"Hi?" Sora's voice came, hesitant.

"I'm outside," he said. "Can you come out?"

"Y-yeah, I'll be right out."

A minute later, Sora walked out, Riku and Kairi right behind him. The three of them walked over to Ventus's car, Sora getting in on the passenger's side while the other two came over to Ventus's side.

"Good morning, Ventus," Kairi greeted him.

"Having fun at college?" Riku asked with a grin.

Ven shot them both a deadpan look. "I _was_ until my grandfather called."

Kairi winced. "Sorry about that. It was my idea."

"You know _I'm_ not the one who's mad," Ventus pointed out.

"Yeah, we know," Riku said, but Ventus had turned to look at his brother.

"I'm sorry," Sora said. "Forgot to set my alarm. You're usually there to cover for me on Saturdays."

Ven sighed, and glanced back at Riku and Kairi. "See you guys around," he said. They got the message, and walked back towards Riku's house. "You know you're gonna have to be more careful now, right? And I don't just mean try harder not to get caught. It's about time you try being more responsible, too."

Sora averted his gaze, keeping them fixed on his own hands, fidgeting over his lap. "I know, Ventus."

Starting the short drive back home, Ventus kept glancing at his brother. "Are you sure you're all right? You've never gone out without warning me before."

"Well you're not home, so I didn't know why I should—"

"It's not about me being home, or being the authority figure you have to answer to, or anything like that," Ventus said. "It's about you letting me—or _someone_ —know where you are." He paused, and hesitated for a moment. Then he decided to say what was on his mind anyway. "When Grandfather called, I thought Roxas had started cutting again," he confessed.

Sora finally turned to stare at him, looking like a deer in headlights. "But I—He's better, right?"

"I don't know. I thought so, but it's only been a month and a half. We Skyped a couple days ago, and he didn't look so good about me leaving." He left out that Sora not being home had added to Roxas's distress. "But that's beside the point. If I'd known you were out, I wouldn't have had to worry at all. I just…would have known." He'd reached home, and he parked in front of the garage. "I know you didn't mean to make me worry; I don't need you to apologize to me. But that's part of what I mean when I say you should be more responsible. When I say I _need_ you to be more responsible."

He turned to look at Sora, and for a moment, they stared at each other silently. Then Sora nodded. "I'll do my best," he said.

Ventus nodded in return. "Now to deal with Grandfater." Sora let out a whimpering noise that echoed Ventus's own dread—and he wasn't even the one in trouble.

Their grandfather had likely heard Ventus's car when he parked, but he wasn't waiting for them at the door. Instead, Ventus found him in the living room, sitting on a couch with his phone at arm's length. He barely raised his gaze to acknowledge Ventus's entrance, and didn't acknowledge Sora's at all. Typical; he wouldn't break his composure, no matter what. Perfection, at all costs.

"Hello, Grandfather," Ventus said. "I thought to check Riku's house, and—" he nodded towards Sora. "Crisis averted."

"Is it?" Eraqus's question came, hard and cold.

"Summer vacation isn't even over," Ventus pointed out. "I think one unplanned sleepover isn't the biggest deal in the world."

"What about going into town without permission, last Thursday?" His accusing gaze remained fixated on Ventus, who got the message— _he_ was the one who had driven Sora there. "I remember it was past midnight before you came home, Sora."

"Still," Ventus insisted, "as long as he doesn't do that once school starts again—"

"Stay out of this, Ventus," Eraqus snapped.

Ventus knew better not to argue with his grandfather dismissing him, but he still glanced at Sora. His brother looked mortified, but he met his questioning gaze with a brave nod. "I'll be fine," he whispered.

Clearing his throat, Ventus looked at his grandfather again. "I wanted to pick up a few things I forgot to take to my dorm," he said, more to Sora than to his grandfather. "I'll be in my room."

* * *

The truth was, he had taken everything he needed—likely for the entire semester, maybe even more, considering how much he'd packed—but he wanted to be there when his grandfather was done with Sora.

Before then, though, he had a minute for something else. He climbed the stairs, but instead of going to his bedroom at the end of the hallway, he knocked on the door closest to the stairs, on the left.

A few seconds later, Roxas peeked outside—and beamed when he saw Ventus. "Ventus!" He all but lunged at Ventus through the opening, who caught him in his arms. Roxas's hug was a tight—almost desperate—squeeze. "I didn't know you were home." He sounded excited, but he was keeping his voice low—he had to know what was happening downstairs.

"Really? What did you think I'd do, leave you guys alone to weather the storm?" Well, he technically _was_ leaving Sora alone, but at least he'd be there to pick up the pieces afterwards. "How was he?" he asked.

Roxas pulled away from him with a sigh, and stepped back into his room. Ventus followed, and closed the door behind him. Roxas let himself drop on his bed, scooting over to give Ventus some room to lie down beside him.

"He tried really hard to make me tell him where Sora was."

"Sora told you?" Ventus asked, incredulous.

"No, of course not," Roxas said, bitter. "I mean, I could see where he was on my phone, but I didn't want to tell Grandpa about that."

"Yeah, me neither. That's why I came to pick Sora up."

"Is that all you came back for?" Roxas didn't even try to hide his disappointment—which Ventus took as progress.

"Well, no, it's not _all_ ," Ventus said. "I was planning on coming by tomorrow. I wanted to check on you, too—you sounded pretty down when we talked over Skype."

"I'm not— _back there_. If that's what you're thinking."

Ventus reached to take his brother's hand, and squeezed lightly. "Good," he simply said. "I trust you to know. And if things do get bad, I trust you to know you can call me."

"Or Doctor Sid," Roxas said. "He's only five minutes away, and he gave me his phone number specifically for that."

"Or even Sora," Ventus suggested. "He's here for you. You know that, right?"

"I know."

There was a note in Roxas's tone that told Ventus there was more. "But—?"

"I don't know if I _want_ to rely on him, you know? Not when he's always off doing his own thing."

"Ro—"

"It's okay. It's just—since you left, I feel like both my brothers have moved out."

The sound of Eraqus's voice suddenly rose—too briefly to make out any words, but Ven could guess the gist of it. "Sounds like that might not be a problem for a while."

Roxas hummed thoughtfully. "I'm sorry he has to deal with that shit, you know." Chuckling, he added, "You know, sometimes I think _I_ should act out some more, just to take some of the pressure off him."

Ventus couldn't laugh along with that—not after this summer, not after taking Roxas to the emergency room, not after having to keep an eye on him almost constantly. Ventus had barely conceded to letting Roxas back to his own room a week ago, to prepare them for when he moved out. It felt like enough _acting out_ for a lifetime—but he couldn't say that, not without sounding like he was blaming his brother for it. "You have your own shit to deal with," he said instead.

He heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and sat up. He glanced at Roxas.

"I'm okay," Roxas said, "I promise. Thanks for coming by, though."

Ventus smiled at him, and walked out of his room, only to catch Sora entering his own room, across the hallway. "Hey," he called quietly.

Sora turned to glance at him. "I'm grounded for a week," he whispered back, and Ventus couldn't help but feel relieved to hear that: it could have been much worse, and had been in the past. "Grandpa says he wants to start with a clean slate or something. Since you're not there anymore."

"How…fair of him," Ventus said, unable to hold back a frown.

"Right?" Sora shrugged, and smiled. "I'll try to make an effort, too. For your sake, at least." With a shy smile, he added, "Thanks for coming to pick me up, but I'd rather you come over because you wanna see us."

"Of course I want to see you guys," Ventus said.

"You know what I mean." Another set of footsteps came up the stairs—their grandfather's—startling them both. "I'll just go into my room now. You know, because I'm grounded. Oh, and I won't have my phone, so—"

Ventus nodded. "Let Roxas know if you need me. See you."

"Yeah. Bye."

Sora slipped into his bedroom, and Ventus headed down the hall in a few quick paces, entering his bedroom before his grandfather was up the stairs.

Leaning back against the closed door, Ventus sighed to himself. His grandfather claiming he wanted a clean slate was promising enough—but judging by the volume of his voice moments ago, Ventus doubted it would last very long. That, or Sora would just push his buttons until things went back to how they were before—or worse.

It would be something to deal with later, though. Right now, no matter his grandfather's theatrics, the crisis _was_ averted. Sora was safe and back home, Roxas was fine—that was all that mattered.

The door to Eraqus's study opened and close—his grandfather would probably stay there all day, meaning the way was clear. If Ventus were honest with himself, part of him was hurt that his grandfather hadn't even asked anything about college, even though he wasn't surprised by it. Ventus pushed himself off the door, and even though he hadn't really meant to take anything, he scanned his bedroom anyway.

He'd seen it this empty, of course, right before leaving, but it was stranger to walk back into this room in this state. The bed was still ready, just in case Ventus needed to sleep here, but there was little else left of his personal touches to the room. He'd stored the posters—mostly from video games—so they wouldn't get damaged, since he wasn't taking them with him. He had given his television to Roxas, who hadn't had one in his room, and his console was of course in his dorm room. None of his clothes were strewn over the floor as they usually were. It felt almost like someone else's room.

Someone else's room…except for the telescope next to the window. It was an old thing, all coppery and dusty, inherited from his father, but Ventus had never wanted to buy a new one; instead, he'd learned to take it apart and upgrade the lenses himself, so it was good as new.

Seeing the telescope reminded him of his night in Vanitas's room, and how he'd wanted to take it to college with him. But now, after what Terra had said…Ventus wasn't sure what to do anymore. Idly, he picked up a few boxes of games that he was sure Terra would enjoy, delaying on making a decision about the telescope.

He had no idea what to make of Terra's story, or of Vanitas's behavior. All he knew was what stargazing meant to him. It wasn't just a hobby—it was intimate. Private. Something he couldn't share with someone he barely knew and didn't know whether he could trust yet.

When he left the room, the telescope still stood in its corner, untouched.


	5. Chapter 5

Ventus couldn't help but think about his brothers for the rest of the day. Worried thoughts kept him up well into the night, and still plagued him when he woke up barely after dawn. After tossing and turning in vain, he gave up on trying to sleep, and made his way to the bathroom, his mind still swirling.

Sora had assured Ventus that he'd make an effort, sure. And he'd looked genuinely guilty, both after Ventus had shared with him his fears regarding Roxas, and after he'd come out of his talk with their grandfather. As for Roxas, he hadn't shown any signs of getting worse; if anything, the fact that they had been able to even talk so openly was a good sign, as far as Ventus was concerned.

Maybe Ventus was just worrying over nothing, he told himself as he stepped under the shower spray. He hadn't taken a lot of time to process moving out of his home yet, now that he was thinking about it. There had always been something to do, between Terra touring campus with him, the residence party, his night spent in Vanitas's room—and of course, driving home to take care of his brothers. Maybe he was having trouble letting go and trusting his brothers to handle themselves.

Yes, that had to be it. He just had to trust that everything would be all right—and that if they did need him, they'd call for him. He had his own life to focus on, right here at DSU. With classes starting the next day, he couldn't let himself be distracted.

With newfound determination, he turned off the shower spray, grabbed his towel absently, stepped out of his stall…

…and cried out in surprise as he almost walked straight into Vanitas. Vanitas stepped back just in time, and Ventus froze. Vanitas was naked safe for a towel around his waist, his dark hair wet and clinging to his face. From up close, Ventus noticed the exact shade of his eyes—a bright, unnatural golden yellow. Before he could stop himself, Ventus let his eyes drift down to Vanitas's chest. The tattoo on his jaw and neck continued down, creeping over the left side of his chest like a hand grasping his pectoral muscle and ending in a swirl around his nipple, where a silver barbell glinted under the neon lights. A similar, jagged design was tattooed on both his upper arms, circling them in red and drawing Ventus's eye to the sculpted definition of his muscles there.

His eyes had caught sight of a scar on his left flank when Vanitas cleared his throat, and Ventus blinked, suddenly aware that he himself was naked, with his towel in his hands, covering very little of his own body—especially the growing semi hard-on he felt pressing against the cloth, which he doubted had escaped Vanitas's notice.

"I'm so sorry," Ventus mumbled, scrambling to wrap his towel around his waist without uncovering himself any more. "I didn't hear there was anyone else in here."

"Something on your mind?" Vanitas asked. Then, with a grin, "I thought you were jerking off, seeing how long you were taking in there, but clearly that's not it." He glanced down, then back up, raising an eyebrow. "Unless you recover _really_ fast. Which would be good to know."

Ven ignored the burning in his face, his frustration from the previous day bubbling up and pushing his embarrassment aside. "Knock it off," he said. "I was thinking about my brothers."

Vanitas's cocky look wavered with a frown. "Should I report that—"

"I said, _knock it off_ ," Ven repeated. He moved to push past Vanitas, and to his surprise, Vanitas stepped out of the way. Still, in the cramped space of the bathroom, Ventus felt the skin of his arm brush up against Vanitas's chest, sending goosebumps across his body and setting his heart aflutter. He stopped by the sink where he'd left his clothes, and took a deep breath before turning back to Vanitas. "Not that it's any of your business, but one of my brothers went missing yesterday. And the other—" He stopped; Roxas's issues weren't his to share, especially not with Vanitas. " _That's_ what I'm preoccupied with, not—" He forced himself to look Vanitas in the eye, challenging him to make another lewd joke. "Also, I'm not interested." He waved at Vanitas, short on words, but hoping it was eloquent enough.

He wasn't sure what he expected, but Vanitas gaping at him, eyebrows raised in worry, was certainly not it. "Are they okay? Your brothers?"

His question cut off the momentum of Ven's anger, and he sighed. "They're fine."

Vanitas nodded. "And you're not interested." His tone had subtly shifted to skepticism. "Mind telling me why? You _seemed_ interested."

He glanced down again. Ventus's hard-on had died down by now, but the implication was clear, and Ven felt his anger swell up again. "Are you done checking me out?"

"Are _you_?"

He scoffed, unable to find a proper retort but still feeling unfairly maligned. So what if Vanitas looked good, and his own body was reacting to that? "Look—" he started, unsure what he was going to say. Then he decided to confront him upfront. "Terra told me about Unbirth. What you do."

Vanitas scoffed back, crossing his arms, his eyes narrowed. "What about it?"

"Is it true? You created some kind of unregulated super-drug and you're just…letting your dad sell it?"

"My _foster_ father didn't exactly ask for _permission_ ," Vanitas retorted. "But you know what? If he'd asked for it, I would have given it to him."

"But—" Ventus paused. Part of him, he realized, had expected—hoped—Vanitas to at least be remorseful. Maybe even that his father was using him somehow. But that answer smashed those ideas. "Why?"

Vanitas opened his mouth, then closed it, scowling at him the whole time. "You know what?" he said. "I don't think it's _any of your business_. As you put it yourself."

He walked past Ventus, shoving his shoulder into Ventus's side in a way that had to be intentional—not painful, but enough to force Ven to step back.

"Vanitas, wait—" Ventus started, though he had no idea what he could say—what he wanted to say. Either way, Vanitas didn't stop; he only slowed down near the bundle of his own clothes. His leather jacket was among them: he put it on and zipped it all the way up, keeping the towel around his waist, and only picked up the rest of his clothes before exiting the bathroom.

Ventus stared at the door for a moment after it closed, trying to wrap his mind around what had just happened.

Noise came from outside, reminding him that he was still naked in a bathroom that was more or less public. In a hurry, he put on his clothes, barely getting dressed in time before Ienzo came in, greeting him with a drowsy "Hey". Ventus barely nodded in response before slinking off back to his room.

* * *

Terra was still sleeping when he came back, but Ven didn't mind; he threw himself on his unmade bed, groaning from the lack of sleep and the leftover emotions from his run-in with Vanitas. Silence felt extremely welcome right about now.

What exactly was it that irked him so much about their conversation? He'd confronted Vanitas about Unbirth, Vanitas had shown no remorse. He'd been wondering how he felt about Vanitas, and that should have been his answer. Vanitas had been nice to him, sure, but he wasn't someone Ventus wanted any further contacts with. Right?

A buzz on his phone provided a distraction from his musings. It was a text message from Roxas.

 _You up?_

Ventus glanced at the time; half past six in the morning. Unusually early, even for Roxas. _Yeah. What's going on?_

 _Grandpa decided to teach us kendo for discipline. At dawn._

Ventus winced at the 'us'. He wasn't sure what was more ridiculous—including Roxas in an obvious punishment, or trying to get Sora to do anything at all in the morning. _Ouch_ , he texted back.

 _Pretty sure Sora almost poked out his own eye._

 _He didn't, right?_ Ventus had to check. Roxas was likely joking, but it sounded almost too likely to be false.

 _He's fine. Just grumpy._

 _I bet._ At least his grandfather was trying to do something, he guessed. Something beside freak out after things went awry, at least. Maybe the twins could use some bonding time with him.

 _How come you're up?_ Roxas asked.

 _Couldn't sleep, and I had a weird run-in with a neighbor this morning._ Vanitas had technically nothing to do with his sleeplessness, but he didn't want to talk to Roxas about his worries over his brothers.

 _Weird how?_

Ven hesitated. He hadn't told Roxas—or Sora—about Vanitas yet, and he wasn't even sure what to say. That Vanitas had been flirting with him, and that he'd spent the night in Vanitas's room, would make Roxas jump to conclusions in a way Ventus didn't need. And the drug thing…Ven himself didn't know how to describe it.

He typed a message, then deleted it without sending. The truth was, he still had no idea what he thought of Vanitas. Even though Ven now had Vanitas's side of the story regarding Unbirth, it still didn't feel complete. Vanitas's lack of remorse didn't fit in with the caring side of him that Ventus had been privy to. He'd claimed not to care about people's opinions, and yet he'd been defensive about this—which meant there had to be more.

Was Ventus just making excuses? He couldn't deny his attraction to Vanitas, and he couldn't deny that a boy showing attention to him might influence him a little. Still, he didn't think he was _that_ vulnerable to his own hormones as to imagine things. _Do you think I can skype you in 10?_ he finally sent. It was too much to talk about via text messages.

 _Yeah, Grandpa's done with us for now._

 _Awesome._ He sent the message, grabbed his laptop, and headed downstairs to the residence's dining hall on he first floor. Breakfast wouldn't be served for another hour and a half; he would have the room to himself to talk to Roxas.

A few minutes later, Roxas came online, and Ventus started a call. Roxas looked out of breath and a little sweaty when he picked up, but he had a grin on his face.

"So. A weird neighbor and it's complicated? I want all the details. Is he cute?"

Ven rolled his eyes at Roxas's teasing tone. "It's not—" he started, then he stopped himself, because it was a little bit exactly like that.

So he told his brother everything. The encounter in the elevator, then again at the bar at the residence party. Ventus forgetting his keys, and Vanitas letting him crash. The telescope, and Ventus briefly thinking about dating him. Terra telling him about Unbirth. And, finally, their encounter in the shower.

Well, everything except for Ventus being half hard during that last conversation. That was one step too far, even when talking to his brother.

"First of all," Roxas said when he was done, "I hope you're not expecting me to tell you what to do."

Ven let out a nervous laugh. "I'll take any advice, but mostly I think I just needed to vent."

"Okay. Well, if you're convinced there's more to it, try talking to him again. Maybe not while you're naked. Either you're wrong, and then you'll know. Or you're right, and he tells you, and then you'll also know."

"Or I'm right, but he doesn't tell me," Ventus pointed out.

"And then you're exactly where you are now."

Ven sighed. "I guess."

"Do you even trust what your roommate told you? Maybe there's more to _that_ , and Vanitas wouldn't tell you the truth because he thought you already picked a side."

"I—" Ventus hadn't really had any reason to question anything Terra had said. The idea to question him felt daunting, as his roommate and currently his only friend at DSU, but it wasn't entirely impossible that Roxas had a point. Terra _had_ made it clear he and Vanitas didn't get along. "Maybe?"

"It's worth asking. You know, considering how much it apparently bothers you."

Did it bother him that much? Ventus knew he had used it as an excuse for his sleeplessness, so maybe that's what Roxas meant. Or maybe Roxas knew him well enough to gauge it from listening to him.

"You're right," he said. "I need closure on this, at the very least."

* * *

Ventus thought about waiting until after breakfast, but he decided that he should at least _try_ talking to Vanitas now. The longer he waited, the more he felt he might chicken out. So he found himself going back to his floor, walking up to Vanitas's door, and knocking.

To his surprise, he door flew open almost instantly, revealing Vanitas, now fully dressed—including the leather jacket, the zipper now open and showing a crimson shirt underneath.

"What do you _want_?" Vanitas simply said, irritation seeping into his voice.

"I wanted to talk about earlier," Ventus said. "I—"

"I thought you weren't interested? Well I'm not either."

Vanitas moved to slam the door, but Ventus caught it before he could.

"Please? Just give me a minute. I just want to have the whole story."

The skeptical look Vanitas cast him felt cold as ice. "One minute. Don't waste it."

Ven almost protested, then realized Vanitas was serious, and took a deep breath, before launching himself into the speech he'd outlined on the way here. "Look, Terra said that your father's company sold a drug you invented, and that his roommate suffered from addiction until he dropped out. I don't know how much of it is true, and if it's not, and Terra just hates you for some other reason, then I'm sorry I believed him. I just—I saw how everyone acted almost scared of you at the party, and it made sense, but I wanted to at least hear you out, because you didn't strike me as a bad person. But then you said you didn't mind, and now I—don't know what to think anymore. All I know is, there's more to your story than that. I'm sure of it." He paused for breath, realizing he was rambling. Maybe he should have done more than _outline_ this. "Look, I'm not gonna pretend I'm not attracted to you, not after—this morning. And I think you like me too?" He blushed, but carried on. "I just want to figure out—" His voice trailed off, as he tried to explain himself without sounding too forward.

"If I'm good enough for you?" Vanitas suggested with contempt.

"Yeah?" Ventus said, tentatively, and immediately realized that was the wrong thing to say. "Or just—if you're a good person, I guess." Vanitas fell silent, and Ventus squirmed under his gaze. "Please say something."

"Yeah, I'm attracted to you," Vanitas said, but his cold tone made the words feel off. "I don't flirt with people I'm not interested in."

Ventus looked up a him, feeling his heart race—from delivering his speech, but not just that. "So—"

"But I also think you're a self-important, judgmental brat with a far too narrow understanding of the world and of what's 'good'." Vanitas spoke the words evenly, but that only made them more insulting.

"I— _what_?"

"I told you that I would have given my foster father permission to sell Unbirth, if he'd asked, and you took it to mean that I don't _mind_ , which I find interesting. But I also think that it's easy to blame addiction on the substance, while Zack Fair was a troubled, useless garbage human who was trying to run away from the skeletons in his closet, and Unbirth was just his latest attempt." He scoffed. "So no, your roommate didn't lie to you, but that doesn't mean you're off the hook for deciding I wasn't _good enough_ because of it. I also think it's funny of you to take the moral high ground, even though you won't even let people know who you are, _Ventus Enix_." He glanced at something behind Ventus, grinned, then returned his gaze to Ventus. "Come on, I work in chemical engineering. Of course I knew who you were."

There was a brief moment of stillness where Ven just gaped at him, frozen in panic. Then, a voice came from behind. "Ventus—?"

Ventus turned around, but he had already recognized it. "Terra, I—"

But Terra's angry gaze wasn't directed at him. "And you wonder why you have no friends, Vanitas."

"I _don't_ ," Vanitas retorted. Then, to Ventus, "You had your minute. Bye."


	6. Chapter 6

Terra hadn't been alone on that landing, Ven realized after Vanitas slammed his door inches off his face. Ienzo and his roommate, Lauriam—who Ventus hadn't even met yet—were both there too, about to head down for breakfast. They didn't say a word in the elevator, but by the time Ventus was done eating, everyone in the residence seemed to know his name.

 _Ventus Enix_. The heir to X-Blade Industries.

He wasn't sure why it even mattered. All in all, he hadn't even had a proper plan to hide his identity. And yet, he couldn't help but feel angry that people were now coming to talk to him—after basically ignoring him until now.

The change was almost immediate, and Ventus couldn't help but be reminded of what Vanitas had told him. Most relationships were built on reputation, and Ven had suddenly been catapulted from having none to being one of the most notorious names in the residence.

He did his best to keep himself contained during breakfast, but as soon as he could, he retreated back to his room and curled up on his bed. When his emotions finally broke free, it was with tears and choked screams of frustration. He felt ridiculous, above all else—for even trying, and for being surprised by the change his name had caused. Maybe, by keeping his name a secret at all, he had made things worse, drawn even more attention to himself.

A knock at the door pulled him out of his misery. "Can I come in?" Terra asked through the door.

Ventus wasn't sure what to make of him asking to come in his own room. Wiping his tears, he forced himself to stand and go open the door. "It was open," he pointed out, surprised at how hoarse his own voice sounded.

"Yeah, but—maybe you wanted some time on your own."

Ventus wasn't sure if he did, but he didn't really feel like being on his own if it meant breaking down and crying again. He silently walked away from the door, leaving it open behind him, and went straight to lie on his bed again.

He heard Terra walk in after a moment of hesitation. "I'm not the one who told everyone."

"Uh, yeah, I know." Ven stared at Terra. "We were together the whole time were were downstairs for breakfast."

"I mean—I wouldn't have told anyone anyway. You must have had your reasons to keep it to yourself."

It sounded like a question, but Ventus didn't feel like explaining himself. He just lay there, motionless, his eyes closed.

* * *

The rest of the day went by in a haze. Before Ventus knew it, Monday rolled around, and with it, classes began.

It was a welcome distraction—for Ventus, and for the rest of the residence, too. He knew that word of who he was had spread as soon as he stepped into an auditorium for the first time, but while people stared and whispered, they had to pay more attention to calculus than to him. As long as he snuck out as soon as class was dismissed, he could avoid any awkward encounter with people who just really _happened_ to want to make friends with him.

That strategy worked all the way into Tuesday afternoon, as his second Economics lecture drew to a close. He slipped away as he'd always done before, but a boy ran after him and caught up with him in the hallway.

"Hey, man!" he greeted Ventus, with the same familiarity he'd use if they were already friends. "Really sucks that you have to deal with all these leeches trying to get a favor out of you. I know the feeling."

Ventus stared at him, skeptical. He was a redhead, and the typical jock archetype—the stance, the unearned confidence, complete with a green letterman jacket from what Ventus assumed was his high school. He was a little too lean for what Ven usually thought of as a football player, but maybe he played some other sport. Ven wanted nothing less than to talk to him.

"I don't know what you mean," he said, coldly, and he resumed walking towards his next class—Biology lecture. Being told of how transparent he was didn't improve his mood. He didn't want to harm X-Blade Industries' image by looking like he was callous, or a shut-in—he just didn't want to deal with people until the novelty of his presence at DSU wore off. He'd thought, by leaving early, he'd just look busy.

The guy scoffed. "I'm Peter. I'm a sophomore, and I'm in Chi Gamma Nu. We were thinking—"

"I'm…not interested in joining a fraternity," Ventus cut him off. He hadn't actually made up his mind on the subject—until now. Something in this upfront attempt at recruiting him felt like he was a prize being hunted. And perhaps, to these fraternities, he was. It was all politics, in the end. At least his own parents hadn't been part of a fraternity, so he didn't have _that_ pressure going on. "At least not for my first semester. Thanks, though."

He tried to walk away, but Peter kept up with him, matching his increased pace easily.

"You sure? It's a great opportunity to make friends. _Important_ friends."

Ven glared at him, but gave himself a moment to breathe before answering. _As if I needed 'important' friends_ , he wanted to say. Instead, he managed to remain calm. "I just want to meet people without committing to anything first, you know?"

"You can always back out later. It's just better if you join a frat in your first semester, so you get the full experience."

"Look, I'm not—"

Ventus froze mid-sentence. They were just outside the auditorium where his Biology lecture took place; and right there, by the door, talking to the woman Ventus assumed was Professor Merryweather, was Vanitas. He looked at ease with himself, and the professor talked to him with a familiar fondness. As Ven watched them, they laughed together at something Vanitas had said.

"Hey, you okay?" Peter asked, snapping Ven out of his shock.

"Yeah, sorry. Look, I'll think about it, all right?" It was probably the best—or the only—way to get Peter to drop it without actually agreeing to join his fraternity. Without waiting for an answer, he pushed past him. Behind him, he heard Peter mutter something about needing his phone number, but Ventus ignored him, focused on trying to slink into the auditorium without Vanitas noticing. For good measure, he tried to find an empty seat right near the middle of the auditorium, hoping the crowd of other students around him would help him hide. Surely Vanitas wouldn't be the kind of student to mingle.

But when Professor Merryweather entered the auditorium, and Vanitas came in along with her, he didn't head towards the seats at all. Instead, he remained at the front of the auditorium, leaning back against the speaker's desk and gazing at the students with a cocky smile. He didn't give Ventus any specific attention, but whether he hadn't noticed him or just didn't care, Ventus wasn't sure.

It was hard for Ventus to pay attention to Professor Merryweather introducing herself and her Biology 101 class. He kept glancing at Vanitas, wondering what he was doing there, why he hadn't acknowledged Ventus—what would happen if he _did_. It felt unfair, that Vanitas could just go on ignoring Ventus, as though he hadn't revealed Ventus's identity and made his college experience that much lonelier as a result.

Hearing Vanitas's name mentioned by the professor snapped him to attention. "My usual teaching assistant is on maternity leave, and will be for most of the semester. While we were preparing to find her a substitute, I received a most interesting application. Class, meet your TA for Biology 101—" she waved at Vanitas, "Vanitas Ansem."

Vanitas didn't move from where he was against her desk; he simply waved at the class, half-sarcastic, half-disinterested.

"Mr Ansem is one of a kind. I know he's the same age as most of you, but I've read his paper on correcting hormonal imbalance, and believe me when I say this: he is more than qualified to teach the lot of you. As you probably know by now, Biology labs are on Fridays morning, and Mr Ansem will be in charge of those. I _will_ be supervising as well, since Mr Ansem is not a graduate student, but I will ask you to treat him like you would any other TA."

There was a murmur across the students—some impressed, obviously knowing Vanitas by reputation, others more shocked or suspicious. Professor Merryweather ignored them all; she moved to the next slide of her Powerpoint presentation, and began her lecture proper without so much as a transition.

* * *

Ventus considered trying to talk to Vanitas for the entire lecture, but at the end of class, Vanitas and Professor Merryweather left together, robbing Ventus of a say in this.

It was probably for the best. What was there even to say? Ventus couldn't picture himself explaining what Vanitas had done to him exactly, what it _meant_ , and so talking to him felt pointless. All he could hope now was that Vanitas being the TA for one of his classes wouldn't be a problem for his grades. He could always drop out and take the class again another semester, when the regular TA was back, but Ventus didn't want to quit a class at such an early point in his curriculum.

However, after an evening of torturing himself, the subject mostly slipped his mind over the course of the next day. There was too many new things to think about, too many classes to get used to, to spend all his time worrying about Vanitas. And at the residence itself, Ventus never saw him around anymore. He didn't even care to wonder why; it was just as well.

On Thursday, Ventus felt like he was settling into a rhythm at last. He was at his third lecture in both calculus and physics, and he wasn't lost in either subject yet, which he thought was a good sign. Over lunch, he'd started meeting with Terra and Aqua every day. Aqua, he found out, was a computer engineering major. She had been accepted for an internship at Departure Softwares, a tech spin-off of X-Blade Industries, and was planning to pursue a Master's in artificial intelligence the next year. This was all a relief to find out; Aqua didn't strike him as the type of woman who would need nepotism to go places, and there was little more she could ask of him as _Ventus Enix_ , he hoped.

That day, the three of them lingered for a while at lunch, since none of them had classes early in the afternoon. When finally Ventus had to leave he felt more relaxed than he had at any point since the start of the week. So much so that, he soon realized, he was about to be late to his Spanish class.

He ran the rest of the way, slipping into the classroom at the last minute. Like most language courses at DSU, Spanish was taught in small classrooms, in groups of fifteen to twenty students rather than large auditoriums. When Ventus came in, only one seat was free at the back of the room.

And in the seat next to it, sat Vanitas.

Ventus hadn't even noticed him at first, too busy apologizing profusely for being late—even though, as the teacher pointed out, he wasn't _actually_ late, and it was fine, and would he please just sit down so they could start already. It was only when he turned to find a seat that he saw him, and briefly froze. To his surprise, Vanitas was gaping back at him, looking equally distressed to see him.

It took every ounce of Ventus's self-control to go sit down, but their eyes remained locked on one another as he walked. Even after he sat down, he couldn't help but glance at Vanitas—and found that Vanitas was just staring at him.

And then, something even stranger happened. As the class unfolded, something became painfully obvious to Ven: Vanitas, certified genius, was absolutely horrible at speaking Spanish.

Not just new to the language; if anything, he had clearly tried to learn before. But his conjugation was never correct, his pronunciation was horrendous, and whenever the teacher, Professor Trepe, asked him a question, he stared at her, looking like a deer in headlights, and stuttered on every word of his answer.

It wasn't even that Ventus felt a sense of enjoyment to see him fail at something—it was more shocking than anything else. Vanitas might as well have been a different person in this classroom.

When class ended, he could see Vanitas crumbling into his chair a little, as if the tension was physically leaving his body. He couldn't help but linger for a moment—until Vanitas looked up at him with a cold, ferocious glare. That look sent him retreating out of the classroom, wondering what he'd just witnessed.


	7. Chapter 7

Now that Ventus knew more about his schedule, Friday announced itself to be an absolute nightmare. Not because he hated his classes that day—but for an entirely different reason. A reason with piercings and tattoos and a serious attitude problem.

Vanitas was his TA for Biology lab on Friday mornings; and on Friday afternoons, his schedule was taken up by Spanish work group, where the students worked together to practice the language with little supervision, talking to each other rather than with the teacher. If Vanitas was in his class on Thursday afternoon, he would also likely be in his group for those painful two hours.

He shared his thoughts about it to Terra over breakfast on Friday morning, and Terra offered him a compassionate smile.

"For what it's worth," he said, "I know I hate the guy's guts—especially after what he said about Zack—but…I don't think he'll be a problem. As your TA, I mean. He never seemed petty to me. I don't think he'll lie to hurt your grades or anything."

"He'll just just hurt with the truth instead?" Ventus said, glib. He noticed Terra flinch at that, and it took him a moment to realize why. "I…wasn't thinking about Zack. I meant more what he did to me."

"Maybe you're not completely off base," Terra said, suddenly sounding bitterly thoughtful. "But that's my point. I don't think he'll sabotage you."

"But he's not gonna be lenient with me, either," Ventus said. He wasn't even sure he'd need leniency, but it felt like a tiny bit of added pressure.

"I'm sure you'll be fine."

Ventus tried to tell himself that all the way back to his room, where he'd left his equipment for Biology lab—lab coat and safety goggles, which seemed like an extremely unnecessary mandatory purchase.

He hurried back to the elevator, and froze at a sound behind him. Vanitas was walking out of his room, a bag slung over his shoulder—no doubt with the same destination as Ventus. At first, he said nothing; only when he reached Ventus's side in front of the elevator doors did he turn towards him.

"Hi," he said, simply. Not cold, but not cordial, either—plain and neutral. As if nothing had happened—not the previous weekend, nor the day before in Spanish class.

"Um, hi," Ventus mumbled.

For a moment, there was only silence, broken only by the ding of the elevator and the opening of the doors. They both walked inside, Ventus averting his eyes as he remembered their first encounter.

"Ready for your first lab?" Vanitas said. Still infuriatingly neutral.

"I—" Ventus paused, wondering if he should even answer. The question felt surreal. "I think so?"

"That doesn't sound very confident. I'm not going to give a pass to students who don't know what they're doing. Professor Merryweather, either."

Ventus looked at him then, narrowing his eyes. "I was class valedictorian at Foreteller Ava High School, and I took AP Biology. I know my way around a lab."

Vanitas held his gaze, unfazed. "Then why not act like it? You should own your strengths." The elevator doors opened, and he walked out, as if he'd perfectly timed his retort.

"I just don't want to brag," Ventus said. He wasn't sure if Vanitas heard him, and wondered if it would be better to let him walk ahead rather than walk all the way to the Biology building together; but just then, Vanitas paused and looked back at him expectantly.

"Well? Are you coming?"

"Yeah." It was all Ventus could really say, and he hurried to catch up with Vanitas. Of all the ways he'd imagined their first interaction would go after their argument on Sunday, this wasn't it. But if Vanitas wanted to keep an air of normalcy, Ven could do that. "So…should I call you Mr Ansem while we're there?"

"Just Vanitas is fine. No need to pretend like we don't already know each other."

Ventus couldn't help but scoff, but he managed not to bring up how they knew each other. "Right."

For a moment, Vanitas was silent beside him, but Ven could feel his gaze on him. "You know, I'm not going to fail you because of what happened," Vanitas finally said.

"I wasn't even sure you were even going to acknowledge it," Ventus couldn't help but snap.

"Well, I am," Vanitas said, his tone almost challenging. "And if you have anything to say, now is the time to clear the air. I won't hold it against you."

Ventus stopped dead in his tracks then, and stared at Vanitas. He considered the offer for exactly one second before deciding he couldn't trust himself with saying what he had to say. "You know what? I'd rather not," he said, anger bleeding into his voice. "Not because I'm afraid of you or what you might do as my TA, but because _I_ don't want to cross that line."

He hoped some kind of response—maybe surprise, maybe shame, maybe curiosity—but Vanitas only shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Shocked, it was all Ventus could do to catch up with him. "That's it?"

"Unless you change your mind."

"Why? Why are you even doing all of this? Can't you just make up your mind about me?"

"If I could, things would be so much easier, wouldn't they?"

His earnest tone gave Ventus pause, as he considered the implication. "So you—"

"We're gonna be late," Vanitas cut him off. "You might not care, but I don't want to be the TA who's late."

He increased his pace, and while Ventus forced himself to keep up, he remained silent, mulling over what Vanitas had just said.

* * *

Once they reached the lab, Vanitas slipped into his role as teacher's assistant. The difference wasn't as big as Ven had expected; Vanitas was still his cocky, assured self as he gave instructions, answered questions and walked around the lab to check everyone's progress. Ven had expected him to show some kind of passion for what he was teaching his students, but even when he was discussing biology, it was with his trademark detachment.

True to his word, Vanitas didn't treat him any differently than other students. Ven was the only one who called him by his first name, and likewise, he was the only student whose name Vanitas knew—but that was the extent of it. For the first ten minutes or so, Ven felt like maybe Vanitas was keeping a closer eye on him; but if that was true, he stopped when Ven proved that he could, in fact, handle himself in a lab.

It wasn't the stressful experience Ventus had dreaded, and he was more than a little relieved about it as he went to meet Aqua for lunch—since Terra was busy with football team duties. He tried to explain his morning to her, although, since he hadn't shared _every_ detail of his and Vanitas's complicated week, he wasn't sure how much she'd understand.

"All in all, it was the best I could hope for, right? It looks like he'll leave me alone."

"Looks like it, yeah." She paused, then, with a smile, asked, "Are you sure that's actually all you want, though?"

Ven froze. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, for someone you've only just met, you go on a lot about him. Like, pretty much every time we meet. And you don't sound like you hate him, so…are you sure you don't have a crush?"

"Did—" Ven couldn't help but squirm in his chair, uneasy. "Did Terra tell you I'm gay?"

"I wasn't even sure you knew it yourself," Aqua said with an embarrassed chuckle. "I guess it does make it easier to explain my point, though."

"I know what your point is," Ven retorted, trying to mask his embarrassment with annoyance. "And I don't—I don't think I have—" He paused, unable to finish his own thought. "Maybe?"

Aqua laughed at his hesitation. "It's okay, you know."

"Shouldn't you tell me to stay away from Vanitas at all costs? If only for Terra's sake?"

"I don't like Vanitas very much myself, you know," Aqua said. "But I don't think you'll be able to get over him if you don't admit there's something to get over first."

"Right," Ven grumbled, skeptical. "So let's say I have a crush on Vanitas. Then what? The guy clearly has a terrible opinion of me."

"And outed your identity to the entire university?" Aqua added—in the tone of a question, but it sounded more like a reminder.

"Yeah," Ventus said. "So what do I do about it?"

"I don't know. Sometimes it just takes time. All I know is accepting it is the first step."

"Well that's not helpful," Ven teased, but he couldn't help but smile. "Honestly though, thanks, Aqua. For letting me vent about this."

"Anytime." She paused, suddenly checking her phone. "Oh, hey, do you have any plans tonight? The team's organizing a student party off-campus. You should come with us! It'll be more fun than that stuffy reception at your residence, I promise."

"Oh, um." He didn't have any plans, as a matter of fact—Roxas has even canceled their Skype call. "Yeah, that'd be fun. Thanks for the invite, Aqua."

"Of course! What are friends for?"

Her phrasing gave Venus pause. _Friends_. It felt ridiculous to get emotional about it, and yet, here he was. Because she was right, wasn't she? He'd made two friends—true friends, he was certain of it, in spite of his identity being made public. And maybe that was enough. Maybe it was _better_ than having more friends who didn't know who he really was.

* * *

Ventus's positive mood lingered as he headed to his Spanish work group. Sure, Vanitas would be there, and maybe Ventus had a crush on him. But Ven had friends he could rely on at the end of the day, so as long as he and Vanitas could just coexist in the same space, it would be okay.

That good feeling lasted for all of five minutes, until Professor Trepe—Quistis, as she kept insisting on being called—explained that she wanted her students to work in pairs. After high school, Ventus was all too familiar with the ensuing panic, especially when he noticed every other student in his group pairing up, safe for one.

"Looks like it's you and me," Vanitas said. Far from his usual snark, he sounded—tired? Nervous, perhaps.

"Don't look _so_ overjoyed," Ven snapped back in spite of himself.

" _I_ know what's coming next."

Before Ventus could ask what he meant, Quistis called for their attention. "Good, you're all grouped up. Now, as I explained to you yesterday, the point of these work groups is for you to use the language with one another. I'll give you your conversation prompts in a moment, but before you get started, one more thing." She searched her bag and fished out a stack of sheets of paper. "This semester, I'll have you working on a project in pairs. With your partner today, I want you to choose a topic; at the end of the semester, I want you to produce a video essay on the topic—in Spanish, of course. Here's a list of suggestions for topics, but you're free to choose outside the box—can you pass these to the others, please?" She handed her papers to the student closest to her.

Her announcement caused a bit of a stir in the students, but Ventus noted that Vanitas merely looked resigned. Eventually, Quistis had to raise her voice over the students' questions and objections.

"If you need recording equipment, we will provide you with it, and with a space to do so—just make sure to book it ahead of time. Keep in mind that we're here to practice the language, but part of your grade will be based on your ability to do proper research and find convincing arguments, too."

"Seems like a lot of work for a single class," one girl pointed out, loud enough for Quistis to hear her.

"It _is_ an experimental idea—we're only running it for the second year in a row," Quistis admitted. "And we're currently discussing the possibility of letting students have extra credits in other classes, if your essay is relevant to them. We'll iron out the details throughout the semester, all right?"

Judging by the grumbling that followed, it wasn't quite 'all right', but the complaints ceased, and Quistis went on to give them their conversation topic for the day—recent social media activity.

"She really loves her pet project," Vanitas commented, more to himself than anything.

Ventus turned back to him, suddenly remembering his earlier words. "You knew about this, didn't you? How?"

"I took this class last year," Vanitas said, keeping his eyes averted.

Judging by Vanitas's performance in class the previous day, Ven could guess he hadn't passed. "So why are you taking it again?" he asked.

"I'm not a quitter," Vanitas said, but the way he glared at Ventus was too intense for that to be the whole explanation.

"I—never said you were. It just seems like you could pick something easier for you—"

" _¡En español, por favor!_ " Quistis's voice snapped from across the room, calling him to attention.

" _Lo sentimos_ ," Ventus replied automatically.

Vanitas scoffed. "Of course you're fluent already," he noted—in English.

"I—manage. My mother's family's from Destiny Islands, and they—"

"You're a celebrity. I know where your mother's family is from."

Ventus ignored the quip. "They're okay speaking to us in English when we visit, but I still learned a lot of Spanish from them. My brothers picked it up faster—probably because they started at a younger age. But I manage." He shrugged. "I just want to be able to talk to my family in their native language, you know? It's a way to connect to them."

He'd been ranting without even realizing, but when he looked at Vanitas again, he was observing him silently, his eyes more curious than anything.

Ven cleared his throat, uncomfortable. "Anyway. Why don't you even _try_ speaking Spanish to me?"

"You did plenty of judging yesterday already. Wasn't it enough for you?"

"I—wasn't judging you." He remembered the way Vanitas had glared at him at the end of class. "I was surprised, that's all." Then, he realized that Vanitas was deflecting his question. "If you're taking the class again, you must want to actually learn." Then, switching to Spanish, he asked, " _So why aren't you trying?_ "

"Because humiliating myself isn't one of my kinks."

Ventus ignored the innuendo—another distraction. Seeing Vanitas on the defensive was fascinating. "Seems to me your listening comprehension is pretty good already."

There it was—a crack in the façade that was Vanitas's face. A twitch of his eyebrow, then at the corner of his lips. A smile? A snarl? Whatever it was, it wasn't indifference.

"Look," Ven insisted. "I promise that I won't make fun of you. Besides, you have plenty of ammo to fire back. You saw me naked, remember?"

A moment of hesitation. "You had a towel." His retort sounded like any of the ones he'd fired at Ventus before, but he'd never missed a beat before.

"We both know it was basically hiding nothing."

"I sure hope there wasn't _nothing_ behind that towel."

Ven chuckled—he couldn't help it. "Say it again—in Spanish this time."

For a moment, the air itself seemed to be still as Ventus challenged Vanitas with his eyes, and Vanitas held his gaze in return.

Then, Vanitas spoke.

In Spanish.


	8. Chapter 8

Even as Ventus turned his mind to the party that evening, he kept thinking back to his time in the work group.

Talking to Vanitas. Getting past his defenses.

Some of them, anyway. Their conversation hadn't gone anywhere deeply personal, but it had been an open conversation. It was something.

Aqua had definitely been spot-on when she told him he had a crush, but Ven wasn't sure what to do about it. Vanitas as the neighbor with a poor opinion of Ven who happened to be his TA had been a source of angst, but Ven was at a loss how to deal with Vanitas, his partner by default in Spanish class who seemed willing to open up to Ventus, even if it took some prodding.

He thought back to Roxas's text back on Monday, when Ven had told him about Vanitas's devastating opinion of him. _'My good opinion, once lost, is lost forever'_. A quote from _Pride and Prejudice_ —made by a character whose good opinion had definitely _not_ been lost forever by the protagonist. Words of encouragement, telling him Vanitas might come around. Ventus wondered if his brother had already figured out Ven had a crush, before Ven himself.

Of course, Roxas had never _met_ Vanitas. He had no idea what he was talking about—at least, that was what Ventus had told himself then. Now…he wasn't so sure.

"Hey, you with me?"

Terra's voice startled Ventus out of his thoughts. "Yeah. Sorry."

"Something wrong? Did something happen today?"

"Nothing's wrong," Ventus simply said. He guessed Aqua hadn't told Terra about their conversation over lunch, and Ven didn't feel comfortable sharing that himself. "I'm just distracted."

"You sure you still want to come with us?"

"Absolutely." And he meant that. Since his talk with Aqua—his realizations that he had _friends_ here—he still felt ready to take on the world. The afternoon with Vanitas had been confusing, but it hadn't dampened that. If anything, Ven felt mostly positive about it too. "So what's the deal with this party, anyway? Aqua didn't tell me much."

"It's a 'we survived the first week' party." Terra gave an apologetic shrug. "The name could use some workshopping, but at least it's self-explanatory. It's organized collectively by DSU's sports teams, at an off-campus bar called Traverse."

"So, it's like… _your_ party?"

Terra laughed at his question. "Not really. I barely helped with this one. I usually help with parties at the end of the semester. Which means I get to hang out with _you_ all evening today."

"And you girlfriend," Ventus pointed out. "And all your football friends."

"Someone's jealous," Terra teased.

Ven scoffed. "You _wish_."

* * *

In spite of Terra's assurance that he'd stick with Ventus all evening, they drove to the party in separate cars—just in case Ventus wanted to go back early. Ven made sure to take his room key too, this time—being locked out one time was enough. He wasn't sure he'd need to, though. He still felt high on that newfound positivity of his, and he was dying to put it to the test.

People noticed his and Terra's arrival—Terra as a senior player on the football team with tons of friends, and Ventus as…well, _Ventus Enix_. But Ventus decided to take Vanitas's advice to heart, and own his strengths. Or rather, turning that part of him _into_ a strength, and use it.

Sure, maybe most people who wanted to buddy up to him were in it purely out of self-interest. It didn't mean Ventus had to avoid them, or shun their company. Not everyone needed to be a true friend to him—he could still have fun partying with them. The two friends he had were enough. Other people's intentions didn't matter; as long as they talked to him, and laughed with him, and danced with him, it was all that counted.

Terra certainly seemed surprised to see him act this way, but he took it in stride, following Ventus into the thick of the party. As for Aqua, she remained on the sidelines, cheering them on as they started a dance-off with a pair drunk basketball players. Ven didn't think of himself as a great dancer, but since he wasn't drinking himself, he had an edge on everyone else on the floor—enough to make an impression and garner more than his fair share of support and applause.

And then he spotted him in the crowd, out of the corner of his eyes. Vanitas, a full cup in hand, looking at him from the back of the crowd—and _smiling_. A genuine smile, one that faded as soon as he noticed Ventus looking back at him. But even so, he didn't avert his gaze.

Ventus wasn't sure what the look meant, but it triggered an impulse in him. He excused himself, claiming he needed to get some air, and slipped through the crowd, and stepped out into the street, carried by a strange mixture of hope and nervousness. The feelings doubled in his chest when, a moment later, Vanitas walked out of the bar as well.

"Quite the show," Vanitas simply said.

"You know you liked it," Ventus retorted with a grin.

"If you think that was sexy, you need a reality check. Just because you're above a bunch of drunk straight—or straightish—men doesn't make you a dancing queen."

The rebuttal didn't deter him—he refused to let it. "That's not what I meant, and you know it."

Vanitas took a sip from the paper cup in his hand, then tossed it aside. Ventus couldn't be sure in the dark, but he was fairly sure it hadn't been empty. "I can't deny there was something likable to it."

"Is it helping you make up your mind about me?"

"Hardly."

"Maybe I can tell you what _I_ think of you, then." He shrugged. "Like you suggested this morning."

"It's not this morning anymore."

For the first time since leaving the bar, Ven felt a moment of hesitation. "So—don't you want to hear it?"

Vanitas observed him quietly, his head slightly cocked to the side. "Well, now you've piqued my curiosity."

"I think—" He paused, trying to find the right place to start. "I _know_ there's more to you than you let on. I don't know why—all I know is, I want to find out what it is. I think you want me to find out, too." Vanitas's lips parted slightly, but Ventus didn't let him interject. "I'm not gonna pretend I'm not uncomfortable about the Unbirth. I'm sure you didn't tell me the whole story, but—even _that's_ a problem. And you basically ruined my chances at a normal social life by letting the entire university know who I am, and I'm sure that was on purpose. And—"

"You're angry about that?" There was a tremble in Vanitas's voice—an hint of uncertainty, maybe even hurt or regret.

Ventus's momentum had been cut off, and the question gave him pause. He thought back to the party just now—to all these people, but also to Terra and Aqua. "I—don't think I am," he said, realizing it as he was saying the words. "It hurt, and it's been difficult dealing with the fallout, but—" He shook his head. "No. I'm not angry. It's made things more…honest, I guess. It's not your fault people are being greedy shits about it." He met Vanitas's gaze. "But that doesn't mean it was your choice to make."

"I know."

It wasn't an apology, but it was enough—for now, at least. "Did you know the entire time? Who I was?"

"I was fairly sure," Vanitas said, breaking eye contact to lean back against the bar's wall. "When you slipped and told me your full name at the party, it confirmed it. But I had my doubts."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

Vanitas scoffed. "I didn't want you to think I was hitting on you because of who you were."

The reply threw Ven off. "Oh." He wasn't sure what to say to that naked admission—he was short on breath, his heart was racing, but his brain felt empty. "Were you?"

"No. And I shouldn't have told anyone else who you were. I was angry, and—" Vanitas cut himself off, then said, "I'm also doing it to reconnect to my family."

It was too out of the blue for Ventus to make the conection. "You—what?"

"Learning Spanish. That's why I'm taking the class again. My birth mother was from Destiny Islands—like my foster father. That's how he came to adopt me. But he never let me get in touch with the culture. So, I'm trying to do it on my own." He glanced at Ventus, briefly, then averted his eyes again. "When you said that's why you were learning—I don't know. It seemed—" He sighed. "There. Now you can tell this to someone, and they'll spread it around until my reputation as an ice cold badass will be ruined."

Ventus gaped at him for a moment, processing what he was saying—unable to find something to say in response.

In the end, he gave up.

He leaned in forward, unable to stop himself once he'd started moving, until his lips were pressed against Vanitas's. The other boy tensed up against him, but before Ven could back away, Vanitas placed a hand at the back of his head, another at the small of his back, and pulled him in closer. He kissed Ventus back, gently first, then hungrily, sliding his tongue against Ven's lips until they parted.

Ventus's body went on overdrive, and his brain felt completely fried. He tried to respond to Vanitas's actions as best as he could, fumbling his way through. And yet Vanitas kept him close, kept kissing him, which meant he had to be doing _something_ right.

Even when he had to pull away, gasping for air, Vanitas's hand on his back didn't move—firm enough to keep him close, but loose enough not to feel like a trap. Ven found that he didn't mind the proximity. "I—" he started.

"Yes?"

He felt almost embarrassed for a moment, then realized that, close as they were Vanitas could probably feel the hard line in Ven's pants—just like he could feel the one in Vanitas's, which was even visible through his eternal skinny jeans. "I want you," he said, breathless. "Can we—go back to the residence?"

Vanitas gave off a small laugh. "Well, my ride ditched me anyway."

"That's not what I—"

"I know what you meant. Let's see about that once we're there."

It sounded like a challenge—like Vanitas was daring him to still want him after he'd had a few minutes of driving to clear his mind. Ventus doubted it would change a thing, but it felt childish to say that. "Come on, my car's over there."

He sent Terra a quick text to let him know he was heading back—with no mention of Vanitas—and turned his phone on silent as he climbed into his car. When Vanitas sat on the passenger seat, his heart began to race—at the thought of what he was doing, and what he was _about_ to do.

"Eyes on the road, Ventus."

Vanitas's chiding forced him to snap back to attention—because yeah, he had been staring at Vanitas, and it wasn't the safest thing to do while driving. "Sorry."

"I mean, I'm flattered, but I'd rather not die." He let out a sarcastic laugh. "It's a curse to be this good-looking."

Ven snorted a little at that. "Is that your way of owning your strengths? Humility doesn't hurt sometimes, you know."

"Sometimes. This is not one of those times."

Ventus could feel Vanitas's eyes on him, and he was glad to finally take the turn into the residence's parking lot. Not because that feeling of being observed upset him—but he yearned to look back, hold his gaze, and go back to what they were doing outside the bar. And then—

Vanitas's hand brushed against his knee, sending sparks across his skin. His breath caught in his chest, and he almost rammed his car straight into a wall, barely stopping in time. If he hadn't already been hard just from thinking about Vanitas, that simple touch would have been enough.

From Vanitas's chuckle, he could guess he was being completely transparent. Vanitas looked much more in control, himself; yet when they left the car, he set a fast pace back to the residence that spoke of nothing if not hurry and impatience.

Ven managed to rein himself in until they stepped into the elevator. As soon as they doors closed, he was on Vanitas, pressing their lips together. Gently, Vanitas cupped the side of his face…and pulled away.

"What are we doing?"

Ventus let out an incredulous chuckle. "I—thought it was obvious."

"I mean, what do you want out of this?"

"To sleep with you?" He frowned, surprised at his own audacity, but confused that Vanitas was even asking.

"And that's it? No strings attached?" His face was unreadable.

Ventus hesitated only a moment. "No strings attached," he replied. It was just a crush—he just had to get Vanitas out of his system. They may have managed to talk to one another, but it didn't change all the ways they didn't like each other. "This self-important brat isn't going to demand anything of you," he added, as a reminder of that last part.

"Right," was all Vanitas said at first. Then he nodded. "Glad we're on the same page."

The elevator doors opened, and Ventus briefly hesitated, but Vanitas headed straight for his own room. When he noticed Ven was lagging behind, he glanced back, raising an eyebrow. "What? We'll have more room."

Ven couldn't help but blush at the implication, but he nodded, and for the second time, stepped into Vanitas's room. This time, though, he wasted no time looking around. He kissed Vanitas again and, tentatively, ran a hand up the right side of his chest. There were still a couple layers between them—Vanitas's leather jacket the thickest of them—but just that action felt more meaningful, more intimate.

With a hum against his lips, Vanitas hooked a hand behind Ventus's neck, and pulled him along as he backed into the nearby wall, allowing Ven to pin him against a poster. With his other hand, he unzipped the jacket, shrugging it to the floor. The t-shirt he wore underneath was made of light cotton, so thin it felt like Ventus could rip it without even trying. Delicately, Ven slid a hand under the hem, feeling the hard lines of Vanitas's abs under his fingers. He pushed upwards, along his side, brushing against his arm, gripping at his pectoral muscle, feeling it tense up under his touch. His thumb found the cold surface of the barbell pierced into his nipple, making him hesitate—but when he felt the shiver that ran across Vanitas's body, he gave in to his urge to prod, to touch, to explore.

Vanitas's hands moved down to the small of his back, tugging at his shirt. Ventus forced himself to step back a moment, barely able to contain his breathing as Vanitas lifted the shirt. He'd been shirtless in other people's presence, sure—but _this_ , having someone undress him, with _this_ intent in mind, that was new. New and exciting.

He didn't even bother to check what Vanitas did with his shirt; as soon as his hands were free again, he made quick work of Vanitas's own shirt. He paused then, staring at Vanitas's naked chest openly. He'd seen it, that morning in the bathroom, but back then he'd felt obliged to avert his gaze as much as possible. Now, he didn't have to.

Now, he could see the way Vanitas stared _back_ , lips parted, the gold of his irises almost consumed with black, his skin flushed. Had that look been there in his eyes all along? Had Ventus been too self-conscious to see it? It didn't matter. He was _here_ , _now_. And _looking_ wasn't enough.

He closed the distance between them again, running his hands across Vanitas's stomach and up his chest, kissing his lips, then his jaw, following the trail of his tattoo down to his pierced nipple. Vanitas didn't say anything, but the hitches in his breath, the occasional, soft moans he let out, were enough of a guide. He lowered himself to his knees to kiss around the piercing in Vanitas's navel, to see what his reaction would be to _that_ —and then, his hand brushed against Vanitas's belt buckle.

When the information reached his mind, he couldn't stop himself. Keeping his lips pressed to Vanitas's stomach, he worked the buckle open, then the button and zipper underneath, and he _pulled_. Once. Then twice. And then, finally, he moved away.

Vanitas's pants and underwear were a puddle around his ankles, but Ven's eyes were fixed elsewhere. Specifically, to his cock, free and erect and _inches from Ven's face_.

He wasn't sure what he'd expected, if anything at all, but in that moment, it looked perfect to him. Straight and smooth, slightly flushed. His foreskin was intact, covering the tip and strangely intriguing to Ven, who was himself circumcised. Vanitas's skin was shaved almost to perfect smoothness, but there were a few hints of blond growth around the base of his cock—another tidbit of information that surprised Ventus.

Vanitas grew tense, and Ven realized he was perhaps staring too long—not that he had any frame of reference. He reached out, almost religiously, closing his right hand around the base of Vanitas's cock, running it up its length once, then down. His foreskin came down with the movement, revealing the head. For a fleeting moment, Ven realized he'd almost expected to find a piercing here too, but there was none in sight. When he ran his left hand up Vanitas's leg, he felt small scars on his inner thigh, and a question formed in his mind.

He quashed the thought, though, and bent his head down, softly kissing the underside of his cock. Vanitas's knees buckled subtly, and he pressed his back more firmly against the wall, and that was all the encouragement Ven needed. He kissed up to the tip of Vanitas's cock, then, before he could psych himself out, wrapped his lips around it.

Almost instantly, it felt like too much. Vanitas didn't _look_ that large, and yet it felt like Ven could barely fit any of him in his mouth. Still, he tried, sucking more in, pulling out for air, licking and teasing, and each of his experiments was rewarded by another twitch, another moan. One of Vanitas's hand combed through the hair on the side of his head—not guiding him or controlling him, just another point of contact to set Ven's skin on fire.

He relaxed, and tried taking more of Vanitas in, carefully. He had no experience, but he knew what a gag reflex was—and he had no intention to find out how sensitive his was. Still, it was enough for him to start moving, up and down, rhythmic to an almost hypnotic degree. He'd kept his eyes closed at first, trying to focus on his other senses, but he opened them then, looking up at Vanitas when he could. The look Vanitas was bearing down on him—desperate and amazed and just so, so overwhelmed, perhaps even more than Ven felt—was the most beautiful thing Ventus had ever seen.

Then, suddenly, Vanitas looked away. "Stop," he said, his voice hoarse and low. "I don't want to end so soon."

It took a moment for Ven to realize what he meant, but he did as commanded. Vanitas offered him a hand, and he stood back up, suddenly hesitant what should come next. Here he was, shirtless and rock hard in his pants, with a boy completely naked and seemingly right over the edge, and he wasn't sure what he should do.

Vanitas caught his befuddled look, and let out a soft giggle. He toed his pants and underwear off—a jockstrap, Ven noticed, _of course_ it was a jockstrap—and closed the distance between them, bringing their lips together for a brief, yet deep kiss. When he pulled away, Vanitas licked his lips briefly, and Ven wondered if he'd been tasting himself—if that was even a real thing.

Before he could ask, though, Vanitas's hands landed on the buckle of his belt. Before he could properly think, Ventus took a step back. Even in the rush of the moment, the haze of lust he was swimming through, he still felt nervous at the thought of being naked in front of this boy. Of being judged—compared, even, perhaps. Of not being enough.

He realized Vanitas had frozen entirely. "Do you want to stop?" he asked, uncertain.

The question was earnest—he was giving Ventus an out, if he wanted to take it, in spite of how far they'd already gone. Did he? "I—" No, of course not; that wasn't the problem. "I've never done this before."

"Yeah, well, one-night stands happen. Don't beat yourself u—"

"I mean I've never slept with anyone."

"Oh." A flash of surprise crossed Vanitas's gaze. "And—you don't want me to be your first?"

"Fuck, I _do_ ," Ven said, mentally kicking himself for even stopping things at all. "I just—I'm nervous, okay?"

A familiar grin formed on Vanitas's lips, but no quip followed it. He reached out, placing a hand softly over Ven's chest. The warmth of his touch felt easy on his skin, and as Vanitas stepped forward, Ven relaxed. "You know, for a virgin, you give a pretty wicked blowjob." The words, strangely, made Ventus feel a little better. "I really want to repay the favor, if you'll let me."

He raised a questioning eyebrow, and slowly, Ven managed to nod. "Please?" he managed to whisper.

His belt came undone almost immediately under Vanitas's expert fingers. Ven froze when Vanitas removed his pants, but Vanitas didn't immediately reach for the waistband of his boxer briefs. Instead, he kissed Ventus again, running one hand up and down his back, bringing their body closer together. Ven could feel Vanitas's cock hard and flush against his own, leaking a little on his underwear. And on the other side of his erection was Vanitas's hand, pressed against him through the fabric. He wasn't moving, or even grabbing him—just touching. Just enough for Ven to relax at the contaxt, for his brain to process the way his nerves were on fire at every point where his bare skin touched Vanitas's.

When Vanitas hooked a finger into his waistband and pulled it down, it barely registered. Suddenly Ventus was naked, and he was too lost in the kiss and the deluge of other sensations to even realize until Vanitas's fingers wrapped around his length.

His breath hitched, and he couldn't help but break the kiss. Vanitas didn't seem to mind; he stepped back, and looked down. At Ventus's cock, with another tiny lick of his lips. But also at the rest of his body, his gaze roaming across his skin.

Ventus looked, too. He saw the way his body looked like a blank canvas next to the artwork that was Vanitas's, but the contrast seemed almost purposeful. He didn't shave like Vanitas did, sure, but the way Vanitas brushed the hairs on his body with his fingers made it seem unimportant—maybe even all right. His self-consciousness melted away when Vanitas grabbed both of their cocks and pressed them together, and Ventus found them near identical. One cut, one intact, but otherwise hardly any different.

Vanitas was looking him in the eye, forcing Ven to look up as well. "See? Nothing to be nervous about," he said, with a smile—a genuine smile, like the one he'd had at the bar earlier.

And then, without a word, Vanitas dropped to a crouch, and practically engulfed Ven's cock in his mouth, without hesitation, only stopping when his nose was buried in the sparse hair around the base of Ven's cock. It was too much to bear at once; Ven's brain short-circuited, barely registering the hand teasing at his balls, or the other on his stomach.

Vanitas bobbed his head up once, and sank back down, and before Ven could even form the words, he was already coming. He cried out wordlessly, feeling his muscles tense without warning, and nearly lost his footing. And still, Vanitas's mouth moved again, slowly, purposefully, as Ven felt himself send shot after shot down his throat. It was only after he was done that Vanitas let go, and looked up at Ventus, a ferocious glint in his eye.

"I'm—sorry," Ventus said.

Vanitas stood up—without waiting for Ven to help him—and grinned at him. "It's okay. First time, right? I'm surprised you didn't come in your pants, really."

Ven couldn't help but frown. "Really?" he asked, dubious

"Really. If you'd lasted much longer, I might have felt insulted."

He kissed Ventus, pressing their bodies together once again. Vanitas was still hard, even as Ven's own erection was slowly receding, but that tought vanished when Vanitas prodded his lips open with his tongue, and the taste of salt filled Ventus's mouth. Salt, and other things he couldn't name, but knew, on a deep, instinctual level. 'Tasting himself'—it _was_ a thing, he guessed.

That kiss didn't seem to end. Vanitas's hands grasped firmly at his back, while Ventus's hand found its way to Vanitas's cock, slowly caressing its length. He wasn't sure he wanted to make Vanitas come, but when Vanitas leaned further into him, resting most of his weight against Ven's chest, and he pushed forward with his hips, Ven upped the pace of his hand. After a few seconds, Vanitas broke the kiss, burying his face into Ven's shoulder. Almost immediately afterwards, he let out a strangled gasp, and came in hot spurts, covering Ven's hand, his stomach, dripping down his own cock and legs.

They stood there, motionless and filthy, for at least a full minute. Ven didn't even let go of Vanitas's cock as it became softer—it was like any motion would break the spell of the moment. He pressed his lips to Vanitas's temple, but that was as much as he dared to do.

Vanitas was the on who broke away first, stepping back with a smile. "You feeling good?"

"Uh, yeah," was all Ventus managed to reply. A nervous chuckle escaped him. "Yeah, I _feel good_. And I really am sorry I—finished so fast."

But Vanitas shook his head, still smiling. "Don't be sorry. This was—" He paused. " _Intense_."

Ven scoffed. "You mean _short_."

"I've had shorter. But rarely anything this satisfying. Even when it lasted longer."

"You're just—" Ventus started, then stopped. He observed Vanitas, studied the look on his face. "You mean it," he said. It wasn't a question—but he was still surprised to realize it.

"I do."

Baffled, Ventus gaped at him silently. "Um…thanks, I guess."

"I guess you'll be leaving now?"

Ven was getting used to hearing Vanitas speak in that uncertain tone—rare as though it seemed to be. He meant that question—and he wasn't sure what he wanted Ven to answer. Ven wasn't sure what he wanted to answer, either. He'd really just wanted to get Vanitas out of his system. But now…

"What if I don't want to go just now?" he asked, and a prideful part of him hated how uncertain he sounded himself.

Vanitas raised a teasing eyebrow. "We have plenty of time for a second round," he said. "And a bed that still hadn't been used."

* * *

They were soon making out on the bed, still naked, having barely cleaned up. Vanitas had him pinned down into the mattress, and Ventus couldn't help but relish the feeling of abandon that submerged him when Vanitas held his wrists above his head and just pressed their bodies together.

It didn't take long for both their arousals to return, and after that, not much longer for Ventus to feel curious again.

"Could we—" He bit his lip, uncertain how to ask without sounding too crass _or_ too inexperienced. "I'd like to go all the way?"

"You want to try anal?" Vanitas asked, shameless in a way Ven _wished_ he himself was. Still, he nodded in response, and an admirative look blossomed on Vanitas's face. "What did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking you could—" He cleared his throat, feeling ridiculous for even hesitating, and forced himself to speak plainly. "I was hoping you could top me."

"Of course I _can_ ," Vanitas retorted, grinning. "I'm surprised you don't want to try the other way around first, though."

Ven shrugged. "I wouldn't know where to start to make you feel good."

"Where were you when _I_ lost my virginity?" Vanitas let out with an amused snort. There was a silent beat as Ventus processed the words, and, judging by the look on Vanitas's face, he realized what he'd said himself. He pushed himself away, straddling Ventus on his knees and averting his gaze, regaining his composure. "Well, it'd be my honor and my pleasure—literally."

Ventus didn't question that brief flash of emotion, filing it for later. "Thank you."

In spite of his attempt at confidence, Ventus couldn't help but feel nervous as Vanitas stood to fetch a condom and lube. Both of them were a relief, sure, but it still made his request seem that much more _real_.

Even more real, of course, was the feeling of Vanitas slipping a slicked finger into him. He went slow and gently, helping Ven ease into it, but it took him stopping briefly to kiss Ventus to truly get the job done. As they kissed, Vanitas proceeded by touch alone, working Ven's hole with a finger, then more, and Ventus focused all his attention on the kiss, and on staying relaxed.

After a moment, the latter didn't take that much effort—as Vanitas eased into a rhythm, Ventus found that his body was growing to like the feeling of it more and more. He felt a brush of fingers against a hard knot inside of him, and couldn't stifle a moan as he realized Vanitas had found his prostate.

Vanitas didn't seem in any hurry to hit it again, only touching it sporadically, seemingly by accident. He just kept up the movement of his fingers, until Ventus arched his back under a strong wave of pleasure. Only then did he break the kiss and revert to his position between Ventus's legs.

"Ready?" he asked. Ventus nodded, and Vanitas laughed. "No you're not," he teased, and as he said so, he pushed the tip of his cock into Ven's entrance.

He wasn't joking; Ven could never have been ready for this, the sheer feeling of being stretched. There was a hint of pain, although his body was relaxed enough to move past that; and beyond that feeling, was the heat, the pressure, the deep and intimate sense of _connection_ between them. Vanitas pushed in, slowly, and Ventus fell filled—completed. Reunited, in some vague way he couldn't explain further than that..

Vanitas buried himself inside of Ventus, and Ventus took all of him. Every inch came with a mixture of pain and pleasure, but once Vanitas was all the way in and bent down to kiss Ventus, even as he pulled back then thrusted forward again, the pain seemed irrelevant. Not gone, just fading to the background, unimportant. Everything else, the touch of Vanitas's skin, the faint scent of his body, only perceptible over the more potent smells of lube and their earlier orgasm because they were so close, the black of his hair and the gold of his eyes, the sound his harsh breaths and the low growl of his voice—those were important. The hard pressure of his cock inside of Ven—that was relevant.

Ven had no idea how long he lasted. It was like he was fading into the act, like they weren't two boys sleeping together but just a singular experience, and it transcended everything Ventus knew. Everything in the world was _Vanitas_ , and judging by the desperate way Vanitas was whispering his name, like a mantra, the feeling was mutual.

He felt his orgasm coming a mile away, this time. Building up slowly, a slight pressure in his balls first, then spreading across his body, his muscles. Gradually rising along the length of his cock, until Ven felt like he was hanging over an invisible edge, just waiting for the right moment to drop.

" _Ventus!_ " Vanitas cried out, followed by a whining moan. He half-collapsed on top of Ven, catching himself on his hands as he kept thrusting through his orgasm. And that was the moment—the sound of his name. Suddenly Ventus was coming too, hid mind blanking out almost entirely, even as his eyes were locked onto Vanitas's.

Time seemed to stretch, then snapped back into place. Vanitas pulled out, and lay down on his flank next to Ventus, and the world came back into view.

For a moment, they said nothing, lost in each other's gaze as they caught their breaths. For a moment, Ventus felt vulnerable—and at ease with being vulnerable, because Vanitas was too.

Just as the thought came to him, Vanitas sat up. "Hang on," he said. He tied his condom and tossed it in the trash, then briefly vanished into the closet. He came back with a wet towel, and with a soft, gentle hand, used it to clean Ven's body up—his stomach, his crack, his legs. "There," he finally said. "All better."

Ventus couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. "Thanks?"

"Aftercare is important. Just pay it forward whenever you actually do try topping," Vanitas said.

It was a dismissal, and Ventus didn't like the way it hurt. And yet, it was what they'd agreed to. Silently, he sat up himself, forcing himself to look Vanitas in the eye. "I'll be sure to," he said, even though he felt no confidence to back it up, and he knew it was obvious in the sound of his voice. Still, he stood up, walking to his discarded underwear. There was a drop of semen on his jeans, from Vanitas's earlier orgasm; he brushed it off, feeling a leftover bit of arousal at the memory, but mostly, annoyance.

"That's it, then?" he turned back to ask as he fished for his shirt.

"That's it. You should get to your room before your roommate comes back. I doubt you want him asking questions."

The message was clear enough, and Vanitas wasn't even looking at him as he said it. "I guess I'll see you around," Ven said, managing to keep his tone relatively light. Vanitas only hummed as he walked past him and disappeared into his closet again. Not even waiting for him to leave.

No point in Ventus waiting, either, then. Resolutely, he turned his back to the room, and walked out the door.


	9. Chapter 9

At now three in the morning, Ventus had little in the way of options—he retreated to his room. The party was still going on, if Terra's absence was anything to go by, but he didn't feel like doing any more socializing right now. He didn't even bother turning the lights on, groping his way to his bed as his brain kept playing his and Vanitas's last exchange—the way he'd been tossed out, discarded like the used condom Vanitas had thrown in the trash.

Yet with the object of his anger out of sight, it faded in front of the need for sleep. The weight of the past week bore down on him, and the next thing he knew, Ventus was waking up in the early afternoon. Sleep had washed away Ven's mood, leaving him with a strange sense of peaceful clarity.

He lay on his back, breathing deep, thinking about the previous night. Processing what he'd done. Try as he might, he couldn't find it in himself to regret it, even with how it had ended. Not out of some sense of accomplishment—Ven had never felt in any rush to lose his virginity, and that hadn't changed—but because of how the night had gone. Every detail was seared into his memory: the way Vanitas had looked at him, the sound of his voice, the feeling of his skin against Ven's, the alien coldness of his piercings and his reaction when Ventus had touched them. And yes, the mind-blowing orgasms.

And the way Vanitas had dismissed him…well, he'd agreed to it, hadn't he? And he still meant that. All he'd wanted was to get over Vanitas. So why had it hurt at all? Was it because of how fantastically amazing the sex had been? Because after years of fantasizing that he'd get to lose his virginity with a boy he loved, a boy who loved him and would never want him to leave, nothing could live up to the expectation? Maybe.

He wondered if it would change anything between himself and Vanitas. It was like things kept moving too fast to ever reach a status quo: from Vanitas's angry sneer Thursday, to his affable attitude Friday morning, to struggling to hold a conversation Friday afternoon…and then the events of the night.

This was all a confusing mixture of emotions. The sobering realization that Ventus had agreed to this didn't reduce his hurt, but the feeling of being _alive_ drowned it out. Maybe it was just denial. But that was how he felt—ready to take on the world, to move forward in his life. In one word… _good_. Good, and extremely confused that he felt good.

Maybe, after some time, his mind would settle down by itself. In the meantime, he needed to get out of his head, and he knew how.

With a groan, he forced himself to sit up on his bed, and shake loose the last shreds of sleep. Then he got up, gathered a change of clothes, and—after checking if the way was clear—headed to the cluster's bathroom.

No one was there, which was expected—Ven had found a text from Terra saying he was staying over at Aqua's place, and Lauriam and Ienzo had also been at the party, meaning they were probably still sleeping. No sign of Vanitas either, which came more as a relief.

 _Brunch with me?_ he texted his brothers on his way downstairs. Without waiting for an answer, he got into his car and drove back to Daybreak. He hadn't been home in a week—longer than he'd ever been away from home, except for a few times he'd been abroad on vacation. But he _wasn't_ abroad: he lived so close that it felt barely justifiable to stay away for this long, crazy first week of college notwithstanding.

His brothers must have gotten the message, because the twins burst out of the house as soon as Ventus pulled up in the driveway. Sora, with his ever-sunny smile; Roxas, one step behind, but a proud glint in his eye.

"Isn't it late for brunch?" Sora teased as Ven got out of the car.

It was two in the afternoon, but he just shrugged. "I woke up half an hour ago, and I'm hungry. So, you game?"

"Hell yeah!" Sora said. "I'm dying to get out of the house!"

Ven glanced at Roxas, who nodded with enthusiasm. A smile grew on his face—with the kind of force that made Ven guess he'd been trying to stifle it. "I got my driving license!" Roxas said, and beside him, Sora cheered, as if they'd rehearsed it.

"You did? Congrats!" Ventus said, pulling him into a hug. "So I guess you're gonna drive us, then?"

"I was hoping you'd say that," Roxas replied, gratefulness seeping into his tone. "Grandpa's at the office, by the way."

Ventus hadn't even really thought about their grandfather on the way here. "It's you guys I came to see," he simply said. "So, are we going yet? I'll tell you about college on the way, all right?"

* * *

They went to the Blitz, a former sports bar turned into a diner on the outskirts of Daybreak. It was a place where they'd spent many hours in their childhood, whenever their parents felt like going out—to celebrate some minor occasion, or just to avoid making dinner. After their parents' death, they'd kept the tradition alive, just the three of them. Eraqus had never shown any interest in joining—which, if Ventus was honest, was for the better.

Roxas drove, and Ventus wasn't surprised to see his brother was about as responsible a driver as one could get at the age of sixteen. "You know, I should get you a car," he noted as they neared the diner.

Roxas stared at him—and Sora too, from the back seat, Ventus could see him in the mirror. "You mean it?"

Ven shrugged. "It's only fair, right? I got my car at your age."

"But it was Mom's car. You didn't have to ask Grandpa to buy it for you."

That was true—but it didn't seem fair. "It's not like we can't afford it. And I think I can count on you not to crash it, right? I'll ask Grandfather about it. If he won't do it, I'll see what I can do myself." He sighed. "You guys need wheels now that I'm not home. And besides, that way you might be able to visit _me_ every once in a while, okay?"

Roxas beamed at him. "Thanks, Ven." From the backseat, Sora whooped with joy, even though he wasn't the one being given anything.

Ven smiled back at his brother. "You know, I can't believe it took me this long to use that nickname again."

"Are you gonna keep using it?" Sora asked. "Now that everyone knows who you are?"

"Yeah, I think I am." He'd explained most of the situation during the ride—mostly to catch Sora up on everything, since he'd already told Roxas everything over Skype. How Vanitas had recognized him, and had let their neighbors know his identity, and how it had spilled. How, in spite of that, he'd made two friends. How, last night, he'd found a new side of himself—one that could be more at peace with being _Ventus Enix_ , and with having many wannabe friends who only wanted favors.

He hadn't told them what had happened _after_ the party. Yet. He wasn't sure he wanted to. He was there to get _out_ of his own mind, not further into it. "Let's go eat," he said, mostly to distract himself. "I'm starving."

The Blitz was a narrow, elongated and open space. On the side of the road was the kitchen, separated from the tables by only a wooden counter painted a pale yellow. The tables were all lined up against the windowed wall, overlooking the fields outside of Daybreak. The view helped the diner feel less cramped than it was; in the mornings, Ven knew, the sun rose over those fields, offering a stunning vista.

At this hour, about half of the tables were occupied, and a drowsy air hovered inside the diner as it tended to do between rush hours. Most of the people here were regulars, here to catch up with a friend or with simply nothing better to do of their Saturday.

When the waiter, a young man barely older than Ventus named Ephemer, spotted them entering, he flashed a bright smile. "Hey, guys! Your usual table's free, I'll be right over!"

Their usual table was the one at the very end of the diner—peaceful, usually away from other customers unless the diner was full. It sat under the back window, which let in sunlight all throughout the afternoon. They sat as they always did: Roxas with his back to the window, although he was now too tall for the back of his seat to completely shelter him from the sun, and Sora and Ventus across from him.

For just a second, Ven allowed himself to bask in the sun. This place felt as much like home as their family house did, especially these days. _This_ was where he felt the most grounded—especially with his brothers with him. With a contented sigh, he turned to Sora.

"So how did it feel to be grounded?" he asked, teasing.

"I survived," Sora said. "So that's something. But it was totally worth it."

"So I guess you didn't learn your lesson," Ventus said, trying not to sound too triumphant. For five years he'd been more or less in charge of his brothers, and he'd given up on grounding Sora a long time ago. It was nice to feel vindicated, but that didn't change the fact that Sora needed to understand he couldn't push their grandfather as far as he could Ventus.

Before he could say that, Ephemer came to take their order. Ventus asked for the breakfast formula, plus a burger, earning himself an impressed whistle from the waiter. Sora couldn't resist a burger as well, even though he'd already eaten, while Roxas settled on just a milkshake.

"Gotcha," Ephemer said, writing everything down. "So how's college? Didn't think I'd see you around here until Thanksgiving."

"I'm at DSU," Ventus said. "So I'm not that far away. I couldn't leave these two alone," he added, nodding at the twins.

"Oh, wow. You guys are lucky to have this one as your brother." On these words, he left to take their order to the kitchen.

Once they were alone again, Ventus turned back to Sora, unperturbed by the interruption. "Hear that? You're lucky to have me as your brother, so I hope you'll hear me out when I say this. You have to try to take it easier with Grandfather. I know it sucks, but he'll make your life more miserable than you can make his if you don't."

"I _know_ ," Sora said. "And I swear I'll try to do that. But it really _was_ worth it." He glanced back, to see if anyone was nearby, then looked back at Roxas and Ventus with a conspiratorial look. "I lost my virginity. With—" He hesitated briefly. "With Riku."

"You _what_?" Roxas burst out; then, in a lower voice, he added, "How could you keep that from me a whole _week_?"

"I didn't have my phone, and I wanted to tell Ven myself! It wouldn't be fair if I only told one of you guys!"

Before this could devolve into an argument, Ventus cut in. "I—thought you liked Kairi."

"I did!" Sora said. "I still do. I think? It's really confusing. And, you know, it just kinda _happened_. We were waiting for Kairi at his place, we were talking, and then—you know." He paused. "Well, I guess neither of you know, actually." He turned to Ven. "Are you mad that I beat you to it?"

" _Please_ ," Ven retorted. "I figured out you'd be the first of us to get laid pretty much as soon as I had _the talk_ with Dad." He briefly hesitated, but he couldn't hold the next few words in. "Besides, I'm not that far behind you."

Sora's eyebrows shot up far enough as to disappear behind stray locks of hair, and Roxas's face was a stunned mask. "Spill," Roxas said.

"I told you guys about Vanitas. Well, last night at the party…" He trailed off. "I don't know how to explained it. I saw him looking at me, and I just knew what it meant, you know? We kissed outside the bar, and then I drove us back to the dorm." He nodded exaggeratedly. "To his room."

"Damn!" Sora let out. "My big bro's got _game_!"

Ven burst out laughing at his reaction, but it was a good laugh, draining tension out of him. He was glad it was out—glad that he'd told someone. "I mean, I didn't do much, but…" He grinned. "I guess I do."

"So are you, like, dating? Because Riku and I talked about it, and we want to be official boyfriends, but we're just trying to figure out how to talk to Kairi about it first, and—" He cut himself off. "Sorry, I'm rambling."

"Nah," Ven said. "I'm the one upstaging your moment. Besides, I didn't really want to _date_ him, and he made it pretty clear it was just a one-night stand for him too." He eyed Sora. "And don't think I didn't notice you slipping the news that you and Riku are already at the 'boyfriend' stage, by the way."

Sora shuffled in his seat with an awkward smile. "Do you think it'll be fine?"

Ven didn't need to ask what he was referring to. "I don't know," he admitted. "I wasn't out in high school—I mean, I'm barely out now. Most people sounded open-minded, but you never know what someone's real reaction will be until you tell them about yourself."

Sora sighed. "Yeah, that's what I figured."

"You and Riku are basically the most popular boys in our class," Roxas said gently. "And if that changes, you'll still have a spot with me at the losers' table."

"Heh, thanks," Sora said, smiling back at his twin. "You know there's a spot for you with us, too, right?"

"Yeah. I know."

Roxas didn't elaborate past that, and their food arrived then, putting the conversation on hold. By the time they resumed talking, they moved on to talking about classes—both the twins' and Ventus's. Ven told them about the Spanish class he was taking, and how his teacher was from Destiny Islands herself.

"She's giving us this assignment, we have to make a video essay on something," he said.

"You should totally do something about the Islands," Roxas suggested.

"That's what I was thinking. See if I can get some insight from the family." He paused, and suddenly, a thought hit him. "Of course, I'd have to run the idea by Vanitas first." Both his brothers looked at him with questioning eyes, and he realized he hadn't told them about that part yet. "He's my partner for that. _Not_ by choice, mind you. There was just no one else."

"Uh-huh," Roxas teased. "Well I'm sure all that time having to _work together_ will just be _horrible_."

Ventus chuckled. "I didn't say that. Yesterday, during that class—it was the first time I really managed to have a conversation with him. And—" He paused, wondering if he should keep that detail to himself, then decided he didn't owe Vanitas any loyalty, especially over his own brothers. "His biological parents are also from the Islands. That's why he's learning Spanish. It's kind of the same reason we did, you know?"

"Yeah, I guess," Sora said, but Roxas was still grinning.

"You've got a _cru-ush_ ," he singsonged. "Admit it, at least."

Ventus huffed. "I mean, I slept with the guy. I'm not gonna say I don't like him. But—as I said, he made it clear it was just one time. And I also want to get over him." Wasn't he supposed to have already moved on? Wasn't that his rationale for sleeping with him in the first place? He shook his head. "Nothing will come out of it."

"You got the most important part out of the way," Sora said smugly. Roxas rolled his eyes, but he remained silent.

"Can we just move on?" Ven asked, pleading. So much for keeping his mind focused on something else—even if he was glad he'd told his brothers.

"All right, all right," Roxas said. "Hey, there's this new girl in my orchestra class, she started classes a week late. She lives in Radiant City—"

* * *

It was late in the afternoon when they left the diner and Ventus drove the twins back home. For just a moment, it felt like he was still in high school, going home after hanging out at the Blitz like nothing had changed. That wave of nostalgia receded when he pulled up in front of home, however, and he spotted their grandfather's car.

"Do you think we'll get in trouble for going out without telling him?" Sora asked meekly.

"You can't be _that_ afraid of him already," Roxas teased.

"It's just—as long as I'm grounded, Riku and I can't have our official first date." He turned towards Ventus. " _You_ know what it's like."

"I'm not going on any first date in the foreseeable future," Ven protested. "I'm sure it'll be fine. He'd have blown up our phones otherwise."

Sora sighed. "Yeah, I guess."

Ven considered coming in to greet Eraqus, then decided against it. "I should head back to campus. Talk to you guys soon, okay?" He glanced at Roxas in the rear view mirror. "And I promise I'll talk to Grandfather about that car. I'll prepare my case first."

"I know," Roxas said with a smile. "Thanks again for that." But when Sora exited the car, Roxas lingered behind.

"Something on your mind?" Ventus asked. "You didn't talk much about yourself today."

"It's fine," Roxas said, shrugging. "There isn't much to talk about."

"You know what I'm actually asking. How _are_ you, Ro?"

Roxas sighed, his shoulders growing slack as he sank further into the backseat. "Same as always, I guess? I promised you I'd call if I got worse. It's just, it feels like everyone's moving forward but me."

"Ro, you can't compare yourself to other people."

"I know that—"

"You made some incredible progress of your own, getting better," Ventus continued over his protests. "That's important too." He chuckled. "Honestly, I'd say it's way more important than me sleeping with a guy I still don't even know I like or hate."

"Come on, don't bullshit me. You like him."

"Not the point, Ro. We were talking about _you_." Even so, he couldn't help but blush at Roxas's suggestion. When a triumphant grin grew on Roxas's face, though, it seemed worth it. He smiled back. "You'll get to make your own steps forward. I'm sure of it. I mean, if _I_ could make friends once I was out of that stupid school, I'm sure you will too."

"I hope you're right," Roxas said. "Talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

"The usual time," Ventus confirmed.


	10. Chapter 10

"Hey, where've you been? I was getting worried!"

Those were Terra's greeting words when Ventus came back to their dorm room, feeling lighter after spending the afternoon with his brothers in a place that was truly _theirs_.

"Oh, sorry. I spent the afternoon with my brothers. Should I have warned you or something?" Ventus wasn't aware there was such a rule of etiquette between roommates—they'd kept tabs on each other a couple times before, but mostly because when they were hanging out.

"Not—really. I just—ah, never mind. How're you doing? You were pretty wild at that party last night, it was fun to see!"

"I'm great," Ventus simply said, and he really felt great. Seeing his brothers left him brimming with positive energy, and talking to them about Vanitas helped him focus on the good parts of the night. "You?"

"Hungover, mostly," Terra said, chuckling. He was sitting on his bed, laptop over his knees. "I'm surprised you managed not to drink. Most freshmen can't wait to get smashed."

Ventus just shrugged. "I've been to a lot of official functions where it was 'okay' for me to drink. But after seeing a bunch of drunk adults at an office party…alcohol sort of loses its coolness factor." He made a face as he recalled the variety of behaviors—from undignified and annoying, to lewd and borderline illegal. One woman, a major shareholder of the company, had gotten handsy with Ventus—and he'd still been underage at the time.

"Because of—your family's company, right?" Terra asked, marking a clear hesitation at the mention of Ven's family. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. But still, not a reason to completely ditch drinking."

Ven shrugged. "I'm not _completely_ ditching it, I just—there'll be time for it when I'm not driving. And you don't have to keep acting weird about my family." They had never talked about it, merely danced around the subject, and suddenly, Ventus had enough of that. "It's been a week, you know, and I'm not going to melt down if you so much as mention them."

Terra let out a nervous chuckle. "Fair enough. I just—I don't want to push you, okay?"

"It's not like it's a difficult topic. I just wanted to let people know who I was on my own terms, so that—" He paused, wondering if it would sound conceited or offensive, then figured Terra wouldn't care about that, based on everything he knew about him. "So that people didn't just try to make friends with me to get something _out_ _of_ me. Like most people have been doing since they found out."

"Yeah, that's what I figured," Terra said. "And, um, speaking of everyone finding out—did you know Vanitas was at the party yesterday?"

Ventus summoned his best poker face. "Yeah, I—saw him shortly before I left. Why'd you ask?"

"Just—I didn't know he was invited. I wanted you to know that."

"Why would you—" Ventus started, frowning, then he realized how behind Terra was on the state of their relationship. "It's fine, you know. He's in one of my classes, and he lives right across the hall. I know I'll see him around." He sighed. "Honestly? I'm not even really mad at him for outing me. It was a low blow, but it's not his fault people were exactly as I feared they might be about it."

"So…you're good?"

Ventus sighed. "That feels like an understatement, but—"

"I saw you leaving with him," Terra interjected. "And—I know I don't like him, but if you're with him, I want you to know you don't have to lie about it or anything. It's not really any of my business."

"Oh." That was all Ventus could manage to say, as he refrained from asking if Terra had seen them making out outside of the bar. "Um, I'm not _with_ him." Terra cast him a skeptical gaze, and Ventus felt himself blush. "We hooked up. It's just a one time thing."

Terra let out a soft whistle. "Nice, man." Ven gaped at him, surprised by his reaction. "What? Just because I don't like him doesn't mean I don't have _eyes_." He shrugged. "You feeling okay?"

"Yeah, weirdly enough," Ven admitted. "And that's as much as I want to talk about it, got it?"

"Okay, man," Terra said, laughing. He laid his laptop aside, stood up and started stretching slowly. For a moment, it seemed to Ventus he was intentionally letting his shirt ride up to give Ven a show. "You know, you still owe me some gaming time, since we got interrupted last week."

The distraction was welcome. "I don't have plans for the rest of the day," he said, grinning.

* * *

Sunday morning was when Ventus ran into Vanitas for the first time since they had slept together. Terra had left to the gym early in the morning, and with the room completely silent, Ven had woken up too late to eat breakfast at the residence.

Sighing, he left the dorm, remembering a pie shop off-campus close to the residence that had a small restaurant area. Tiana's Palace was crowded, even at this time, but he stuck through the queue, too lazy to look for another place. When he finally sat down at a corner table, with a croissant, a piece of chocolate cake and a slice of cherry tart that looked positively decadent, he heard a voice right behind him.

"Comfort food?"

A hand fell on his shoulder, startling him. He recoiled, practically falling off his chair, and Vanitas chuckled as he move to the chair across from Ventus. He lounged across it, leaning against the wall and facing Ven with a self-assured smirk.

Ven held his gaze defiantly, unwilling to show any more upset than he already had. "I overslept and I was starving. This was the only place I could find close enough to the residence."

Vanitas raised an eyebrow. "This is my favorite spot." It sounded like an accusation.

Rolling his eyes, Ventus decided he was too hungry to play Vanitas's game. Pointedly avoiding to look at Vanitas, he took a first bite of cake—and couldn't stifle a small sigh of contentment as he did. That bite alone could explain the shop's success, and for just a moment, it was all he could focus on.

So when the spell faded, and he noticed Vanitas was still there, staring openly at him, he couldn't help but be a little surprised. "What do you want?"

"This is my favorite spot," Vanitas repeated patiently, as if Ven should have understood something the first time he'd said it.

"So?"

"If you're trying to follow me around, you could at least be _subtle_ about it."

Even though he'd taken another bite of cake, Ven burst out laughing—he couldn't help himself. He was pretty sure he made a poor sight, but he didn't care. This felt too _unreal_. "You think I'm _stalking_ you?" He asked, struggling just to catch his breath. " _Now_ who's self-important?"

Vanitas narrowed his eyes. "I'll give you that; your poker face is good, but—"

"My _poker face_? What the fuck are you on about? I had no idea this was 'your favorite place'"—he insisted on the words with heavy sarcasm—"and I don't care. I just wanted to eat breakfast. Preferably in peace."

"So you're just gonna pretend like you weren't affected when I threw you out?"

Vanitas's question killed Ven's hilarity, although he found the strength not to waver. "I _was_ ," he admitted. Lying would only make it look like he cared—which he _didn't_. "I'm over it. I coped."

"What, your roommate gave you advice?"

"My brothers, actually," Ven said. "You asked me if I wanted no strings attached, and I told you I did. So, yeah, I was surprised when you threw me out, sure. But that's all it was. I'm not going to stalk you around campus to pine over you. Sorry to burst your bubble." He paused, suddenly out of breath. " _Now_ can I eat breakfast in peace?"

For a moment, Vanitas observed him silently—studied him, even, with a puzzled, stupefied look. "Okay," he finally said, flatly. Then he stood up, and walked away. Ven waited a second, then glanced back at him. Vanitas walked to the queue at the counter, paused there for a couple seconds, then turned on his heels and left the shop altogether.

* * *

Ventus spent the rest of his Sunday catching up on everything he'd left hanging since the start of the weekend. He had a surprising amount of homework after just a week in college—surprising to _him_ , at least; Terra looked amused at his moment of panic. And of course, there was the matter of his promise to Roxas.

He figured he should take care of that first, so he could get a hold of his grandfather as quickly as possible.

"Office of Eraqus Enix," a familiar voice answered—Morgan, Eraqus's secretary. "What can I do for you?"

"Hey, Morgan," Ven greeted him. The man had worked for his grandfather since before Ventus had been born—and Ven was pretty sure they'd had an affair for most of that time, although they'd never told Ventus or his brothers. "Can I talk to Grandfather?"

"Oh, Ventus, good afternoon! Sadly no, Mr Enix is on a business lunch. Can I take a message?"

Ventus sighed—he should have known. Eraqus barely ever had lunch without some potential or existing business partner. "No, it's okay," he said. "I'll send him an email, and he can call me back whenever."

"As you wish," Morgan said. "How's college, by the way? We've been missing you at the office."

"Busy," Ventus replied, unable to repress a smile. Of course Morgan would ask him when his own grandfather wouldn't. "But…good, so far. I think."

"That's the important part."

"Yeah." Ven chuckled. "Maybe I should come by the office when I have some time. Since I'm in the city anyway now."

"Oh, no, don't be silly," Morgan chided him, but there was a smile in his voice. "It'll take you forever to drive downtown from the campus. I'm sure you have better things to do."

"I don't know about _better_ , but I haven't had a lot of free time, you're right about that," Ventus admitted. "Still, if I'm ever downtown, I'll try to come say hi."

"I'd love that. And I'm sure your grandfather would appreciate the gesture too."

Ven let out a skeptical scoff. "Yeah, sure. Anyway, I should get to work. I sort of let homework pile up all weekend."

Morgan let out an indulgent laugh. "All right, don't let this old man hold you. I'll tell your grandfather you called."

"Thanks, Morgan."

He hung up, feeling almost relieved that he hadn't reached his grandfather directly. An email would probably be a better way to ask him to get Roxas a car—he could structure his reasoning, and make it clear that he wasn't asking for permission, only for his help. Ven wasn't sure he could do all of that out loud without getting cut off.

Besides, he _had_ missed Morgan. Since he'd found out pretty conclusive proof about his and Eraqus's affair, Ventus had often wondered why they had never made it official and moved in together. Ventus and especially the twins could definitely have used another presence at home—one that wasn't quite so strict as their grandfather. Ventus had never breached the topic with either of them, unable to find a way to do it, but he kept hoping it might happen on its own.

Brushing the thought aside, he sent the email, and got started on his homework. At the top of the list stood his Biology lab report—one that was due by midnight, and that was due _for Vanitas_. Sure, Vanitas had promised he wouldn't treat him differently or unfairly, but that had been before they slept together. Until this morning, Ventus hadn't thought this would have made a difference, but something about their meeting at Tiana's Palace left him suddenly uncertain. What if Vanitas thought Ventus had been following him because he was _hoping_ for it? What if, then, he'd been hurt when Ventus had rejected him?

That train of thought took him further away from the lab report, as he considered the other implications. What then? Would it change anything? Would it make Vanitas any closer to being someone Ventus actually wanted to start something more serious with? Maybe even start _dating_?

Closing his eyes, Ventus groaned as he tried to stop from spiralling. Second-guessing himself was _not_ a good place to go—especially when it felt too much like _he_ was projecting now. He'd made his choice regarding Vanitas, and he just had to stick to it. Sleep with him once, get him out of his system. If Vanitas became a problem as his TA, he could deal with that, maybe even report him for sleeping with a student. That was the only outcome Ventus had to plan for—anything else was irrelevant.

Above all, he _didn't_ want to spend any longer than necessary wondering how Vanitas felt about him.

* * *

Eraqus called late that evening, not bothering to hide his annoyance at Ventus's email. But to Ven's surprise, he conceded with minimal effort, agreeing to pay as long as Ventus and Roxas found a car that fit with a budget of his choosing. With that sum, they'd probably have to settle for a used car, but when Roxas came on Skype that evening, he was overjoyed at the news anyway.

"Do you think you'll be able to come over next weekend so we can choose one?"

"Are you kidding? I'll _make_ the time," Ventus said, smiling. "Saturday. I promise."

Roxas smiled back. "Thank you so much, Ven."

"Anytime, Ro."

Conversation drifted from there. Ventus mentioned meeting Vanitas in the morning, but if Roxas came to the same conclusion Ven had, he didn't mention it—and Ventus abstained from asking. He didn't want to go there again—and besides, Terra was in the room, unsubtly listening to Ven's side of the conversation, even if he couldn't hear Roxas while Ventus was wearing headphones.

"He thought you were stalking him?" Terra teased when Ventus ended the Skype call.

Ventus rolled his eyes. "Yeah."

"You're not a little worried that that means _he's_ stalking you?"

"Terra, that's crazy talk," Ven retorted. "Look, can we just…not? I feel like I've been talking about Vanitas for most of my weekend."

"Well, you did lose your virginity to him."

Ventus shrugged. "It doesn't have to be _such_ a big deal."

Terra chuckled. "If you say so. Then I'll say this: it'll keep being a big deal with everyone else, too. Not just the first person you sleep with." He paused. "Sex is complicated like that. Unless you're one of the rare chosen ones, it's always going to mess with your emotions a little, even when it really _is_ casual."

"Thanks for the advice, wise guy," Ven teased, deadpan. In a way, it was comforting to hear: maybe he wasn't freaking out in a way that had anything to do with _Vanitas_ —maybe things were just complicated because that's how they should be. "It's just…not really what I thought would happened for my first time."

"Getting any regrets?"

"Still no," Ventus said, even though he wasn't sure if Terra had asked him that yet. "Besides, it's like you said. Even if I'd been dating the guy I lost my virginity with, it'd still be complicated. Only in a different way."

"Probably, yeah."

They fell silent for a moment, then Ventus shook his head, huffing at himself in annoyance. "And I'm talking about him _again_. You should yell at me if it keeps happening."

"You know you're stuck with him on that thing for your Spanish class, right?"

Ventus groaned. "Don't remind me. I'm serious, _don't_ remind me. I'll deal with that when I get to it."

"Okay, Ven. Whatever you say."

Hearing the disbelief in Terra voice, Ventus shot him a glare. "I still have calculus homework, so…shut up now."

He felt childish saying the words, and Terra's small laugh only made him feel worse, but Terra fell silent, and after a few minutes, Ventus managed to put Vanitas out of his mind and focus on his school work.


	11. Chapter 11

_We told Kairi_

It took a moment for Ventus to make sense of the text Sora sent him on Monday night. His Economy class had just ended, and his mind felt numb, and it took a moment for him to remember about his brother's new relationship status.

After the few seconds it took to re-focus, he texted back. _Skype in 10?_

 _K_

Ven left at a brisk pace, dodging Peter's fourth attempt to talk him into joining his fraternity on his way out of the auditorium. He hurried back to his dorm, feeling nervous for his brother. Even after a few years of being comfortable with his own sexuality, coming out still felt huge to him, even if it was his brother doing it.

To his dismay, Terra was already in their dorm room when he arrived—he'd counted on him being away like he often was, between his girlfriend and his extracurriculars. He briefly considered Skyping Sora anyway, and decided against it, considering how private the topic was—and not his to share with his roommate.

"Hey," he just said. "Be back in a moment—family thing." He laid down his bag, grabbed his laptop, and walked back out of the room before Terra could ask anything.

He went down to the dining hall, empty at this time of the afternoon. It would be another couple hours before it started filling up for dinner—plenty of time to have the place to himself. Plugging in his earphones anyway, just in case, he finally started the call.

"So what happened?" he asked as soon as Sora showed up on screen. He didn't feel like he could make smalltalk yet.

"Uh, I told you. We told Kairi."

Ven couldn't help but roll his eyes. " _After_ that, Sora."

"Oh. She already knew."

He fell silent, and for a moment Ven was too stunned by his detachment to reply. "Okay, and _then_ what? Do I have to drag the whole story ou of you?"

Sora flashed a mischievous grin. "Nah, I'm just messing with you. But yeah, she'd already figured it out. We, um—we left evidence."

"Oh, God," Ven let out, appalled.

"I just mean the _lube_ ," Sora retorted. "We forgot to put it away."

And sure, it wasn't the worst thing that had come to Ven's mind, but it still made him roll his eyes. "I guess at least you were using some."

"Well, yeah. And protection. Come on, we looked it up before we got started."

Ven stared at the screen for a moment. "You know, for a spur of the moment thing, it's sounding more and more deliberate."

Sora blushed a little—at least, Ven thought he did, but the video feed was too poor to be sure. "Anyway—she also said we weren't being very subtle about it when she got there. Or for the week since then, for that matter." He made a face. "She says I'm being too…'physically affectionate'. Which is totally unfair! I'm like that all the time."

"Especially with Riku," Ventus couldn't help but point out teasingly. In hindsight, maybe he of all people should have seen this coming. "So, she knew. But what did she _say_?"

"Oh, she's happy for us, she's glad we trusted her with it, those clichés. Something about archery too?"

Ventus blinked. "Archery?"

"Yeah, she said she's…an arrow ace?"

"You mean aro ace?" he suggested. "As in aromantic and asexual?"

Sora frowned a little. "Maybe? I kind of nodded along and figured I could look it up later."

Ven chuckled. "I'll send you a couple links," he offered. "At least it's good that she's supportive. So how're you feeling?"

"I mean, good? We told her in the morning, so Riku and I—we kind of tried being open about it over lunch. Act like official boyfriends, you know, like we planned."

"That fast, huh?" Part of Ventus felt worried—scared, even—but he couldn't help but be a bit proud of his little brother, too, for daring to do what he hadn't gotten to at the same age.

"It went fine. A couple people commented on it, but like, nothing mean. It was mostly Selphie, anyway. I didn't really pay attention to her." He paused. "Because I was busy kissing Riku. I mean, you know, it's just Selphie, I don't really care what she has to say."

Ven had no idea who this Selphie was—the name sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember a thing about her. Mostly, he was just impressed. "Wow. Try to keep it in your pants while you're at school, at least." Well, impressed and a _little_ petty. He couldn't _not_ tease his brother about it.

Sora was undeterred. "I'm not making any promises."

"I'm serious. Don't get into trouble. You have plenty of time to be with Riku after school." He couldn't help but add, "And be careful, okay? Just because it went well today—"

"I know, Ven," Sora cut him off. "I mean, I'm not _stupid_ , geez. Some people were already talking behind our backs." He sighed. "It's like Roxas said, about us being popular. I know we're gonna have friends sticking up for us, but I know that's not always enough. Riku knows it too. I just—don't want to think about it too hard, you know. I'd rather focus on the good stuff. Like Riku's—"

"Don't finish that sentence," Ven chided him. "As long as you're aware of what can happen, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry. And I'll call if I need anything. Or I'll ask Roxas, if it's an emergency. Or—" He paused, biting his own lip as he frowned. "You know, I never asked you why you didn't come out to Grandpa."

His question took Ven aback for a moment. "I—it never really occurred to me," he said, and it was true. He'd already been the adult at home by the time he'd come to terms with being gay; the idea that he'd ever need Eraqus for help had seemed like a remote possibility. He knew he'd probably have to come out to him, eventually—say, if he ever got in a relationship—but until then, it didn't seem relevant.

"I mean, we know he was married to a guy, right? And that was decades ago. So it can't be a problem with him."

"Well, they weren't _legally_ married," Ven pointed out. Marriage on Destiny Islands had traditionally been much more open for centuries, but as far as American law was concerned, it had no legal value, even if they called each other husbands in everyday life. "But yeah, I don't think he'd have a problem with it. Not… _personally_ , you know?"

"What do you mean, 'not personally'?"

"I mean—" He'd never told his brothers about Morgan, and he wasn't sure if this was the right time to bring it up. So he just side-stepped the issue. "He never had another relationship in public since the divorce. And I can't help but think it's because he wants to brush it under the rug, for the company's sake. And maybe—" He sighed. "Maybe he'd tell us to do the same."

"Oh."

Seeing Sora look suddenly defeated made Ventus regret he'd brought it up at all. "Look, if you want to tell him, you should," he said. "Since I'm not home, you should have an adult you can rely on for help. And—I don't think he'd force you and Riku to _break up_." At least, if he did, Ventus would make sure to intervene. "He might just—not be happy about it."

Sora let out a mocking scoff. "When is he ever happy with me?"

" _Sora_ , don't say that," Ven chided him.

"Okay." But Sora sighed anyway.

"Look, you can take some time to think it over. For now, you should focus on the good stuff, like you said." An idea came to his mind, sending his pulse rushing when it did, and for a moment, it felt too big to say out loud—but he forced himself to do it anyway. "And if you want, I can come out to him first. So you can see how he deals with it."

Sora gaped at him. "You'd do that?"

"Of course I would," Ven said, forcing a smile—not because he didn't mean it, but because the very thought made his stomach churn.

The way Sora blinked rapidly told Ventus he was stifling tears. "Thanks, bro," he mumbled. "I should get going—Riku and I are meeting."

"Like, on a date?"

"Yeah, our first real date." Sora made a dreamy smile. "So I'd better get ready. I want to look my best."

"I'm pretty sure there's nothing you can do to make him forget how you look at your worst," Ventus pointed out, smirking. "Have fun, Sora. And remember to call—"

"If I need anything, yeah. Bye."

Ventus chuckled to himself at the empty screen for a few seconds after the call ended. He felt bad for bringing Sora's spirits down about their grandfather, but mostly, he was happy for his brother. Even if things went awry for him, he'd still have his best friends to rely on—one of whom was now his boyfriend. That was the most important part.

It took him a minute to notice the dark-clad silhouette in his periphery, and he nearly jumped when he recognized Vanitas, sitting at a table halfway across the dining hall. He was wearing earphones, staring absently and doing nothing to justify his presence here between mealtimes. When Ventus looked his way, he glanced back, greeting him with a silent nod and a smirk.

" _Now_ who's stalking who?" Ven called out as he walked towards the exit.

No reply came, and for a moment, Ven wasn't even sure that Vanitas had heard him. Yet when he reached the elevator, Vanitas caught up with him, his breathing just heavy enough to betray he'd dashed after him.

"Was that your brother?" he asked.

Ventus scoffed. "As I was saying: and you call _me_ a stalker."

"I wasn't trying to listen in, I—"

Ven stared him down, and Vanitas fell silent. "I don't care what your excuse is. You clearly weren't busy, so you could have just left when you saw I was there."

The elevator doors came open, and Ventus walked out. Before he could reach his room, though, Vanitas walked after him.

"I just heard you talking about coming out to your grandfather, and—I wanted to know if you needed any support."

Ven looked back at him, stunned. "You _what_?" he hissed.

"You heard me." He shifted on his feet. "Look, I was a dick to you, on Friday night. I just wanted to make it clear where I stood on the 'no strings attached' thing, but it was just a jerk move. Especially after I made a point about aftercare. Just because it was a one-off thing doesn't mean we have to hate each other." He paused, as if expecting Ventus to reply, but he was too floored to find anything to say. "Anyway—I know what coming out is like. So, if you want to talk—"

Behind him, a door opened as Lauriam walked out of his room, and Vanitas gave a visible start at the sound. Ignoring Lauriam's curious glance, Ventus looked back at Vanitas, trying to parse what he'd said. Before he could say anything, though, Vanitas shook his head and stepped back.

"Just think about it," he said, and disappeared into his room. "You know where to find me."

* * *

As weirded out as Ventus was by his encounter with Vanitas, it didn't linger into his mind—not with so much happening with his brothers. Sora kept him updated about his relationship with Riku, and Roxas was looking into car deals in Daybreak and Radiant City,. Most of the ones he showed Ven were for half the budget their grandfather had allowed, which Ven pointed out numerous times, but Roxas didn't seem to care or mind.

When he saw Vanitas again on Thursday, during Spanish class, their conversation—and his offer to 'talk'—were completely out of Ven's mind. All he noticed was that, for the entirety of the class, Vanitas gave him a wide berth, barely even looking his way.

On Friday morning, when Vanitas gave them their graded reports from the previous week's lab, Ventus was almost shocked to receive a perfect grade. Not that he didn't deserve it—but after everything that had happened between him and Vanitas, he wasn't sure what to expect.

It was a relief, and yet, as he worked on the day's assignment, doubt started to claw at his guts. What if Vanitas had given him that grade to make sure Ventus wouldn't complain to anyone and reveal that they'd slept together? It could cost him his position as TA—which, as an undergraduate student, he probably didn't _need_ , but it might also have further repercussions on his standing as a student.

The thought seemed silly, and Ventus tried to quash it all morning. He'd done good work—exemplary work, even, if he knew anything about it—and he'd been rewarded. But that sinking feeling lingered nonetheless. A small seed of anxiety, making him wonder if he was getting a special treatment. After being so scared that that would happen because of his family name, he couldn't let it happen because a boy he happened to have a crush on—a _former_ crush on, he corrected himself.

He tried to talk to Vanitas about it at the end of the lab, but didn't manage to catch him before he'd left. All he was left to do was torture himself about it—and torture Aqua too, who patiently listened to his ramblings over lunch—until it came time for Spanish work group.

Yet when he arrived, their table was empty, and remained empty for the first ten minutes of class. Quistis had just asked which group could partner up with Ventus for this session when Vanitas finally showed up.

He lingered by the classroom's entrance, just long enough for Quistis to walk over to him. They spoke in hushed voices for a brief moment, then Quistis turned to Ventus, and nodded at him to come over. Curious—and a little embarrassed by the attention—Ventus stood and crossed the classroom, following the two of them outside.

"Vanitas here is saying he wants to drop out of class," Quistis said after cautiously closing the door.

"He—he is?" Ventus asked, incredulous. Frowning, he turned to Vanitas, who gave a sharp nod, keeping his eyes on Quistis. "Why?"

"That's not up for either of us to question," Quistis pointed out. "The only reason I'm calling you over is so we can discuss what we'll do about you. The groups are all set up here, but if you want, I can get you in with a group at a different time—"

"But this is the only time that fits into my schedule," Ventus protested.

"Well, due to our system, we usually work in even numbers. We can't have you working alone, but I suppose an exception group of three _could_ be made…" She paused, glancing at the closed door, tapping a finger against her lips, as if she was already considering how that could work."

"Professor Trepe?" Ventus said before she could say anything more.

"Quistis, please," she chided him.

"Can you just—give us a moment so we can talk it out?"

Quistis frowned at the two of them, but she nodded. "All right. I suppose any other solution can wait a few more minutes. I'll—leave you to it, then."

She slipped back into the classroom, quietly, closing the door behind her. When she did, Ventus turned to Vanitas. "Okay," he said. "What's going on?"

"I suck at Spanish," Vanitas said. "No use beating a dead horse. I can get the credits I need from another language class."

Ventus studied him: the way he kept his eyes averted, the unusual way he stood, still and stiff, his arms close to his body, as if trying to take up less space. Then, he said, "Bullshit."

Finally, Vanitas looked at him—a surprised, furtive glance. "What?"

" _Bullshit!_ You're making up excuses! You're giving up on something that you told me yourself was important to you, all because—what? It's too hard? I don't buy it!"

Vanitas crossed his arms and held his gaze—or tried to, anyway; he kept looking away. "Would you even care if it wasn't causing _you_ a problem?"

"Of course I'd care!" He spoke the words, then realized what he'd said. The words felt true, even if they made no sense to him.

"Why? You made it clear you didn't want to talk! I'm trying all I can to give you some distance, so why are you making a fuss about it?"

Ventus frowned at him, suddenly realizing Vanitas's heavy breathing, the tremor in his voice. "I—what do you mean, I don't want to talk?" he asked, feeling like he'd found his answer, yet unable to piece it together.

"You never came. I said you could talk to me if you wanted, and I'm pretty sure you have no one here you can talk to about—these things, but I guess I wasn't even better than nothing, because you never came. Not to my room, or to Tiana's Palace, or—anywhere." He stopped and visibly caught his breath, before resuming. "I was just trying to be—a friend."

It took a moment for Ventus to even realize what he was talking about. "I—forgot," he admitted. "I've just been swamped, and the twins took all my attention, and—I don't know, I didn't see you over the past few days and it must have slipped my mind."

Vanitas's expression softened, his lips parted in surprise. "So you didn't—" He groaned, rubbing a hand against his forehead. "Of course. I'm so _stupid_."

"No, you just—" Ventus tried to think of something to say to comfort him, feeling more awkward with every passing second. "It clearly meant something for you to offer that, so it's a little bit my fault for not realizing that." He chuckled. "And here I was thinking you were avoiding me and giving me a good grade because you were afraid I'd report you."

" _Afraid?_ " Vanitas looked up at him over his hand. "I'm not afraid of you."

Ven couldn't help but feel a little insulted by that. "Maybe you _should_. I could report you for real." There was no bite behind his words, though. Judging by the smirk that blossomed on Vanitas's face, he had noticed.

"I gave you a good grade because you deserved one," Vanitas said. "Don't insult my standards."

"All right, all right." Ventus raised his hands as if in surrender. "I'll accept that… _if_ you accept that I don't actually hate you to the point where I want you as far away from me as possible." He paused. "And I'd really like you to stay in this class."

"To save you the headache of finding a new partner?"

Ventus shook his head. "In this class, _and_ with you as my partner. Come on, I told you, I can relate with wanting a connection to your family. I don't want to be the reason you miss out on that."

* * *

Ventus pretended not to notice Quistis's sigh of relief when the two of them walked back into the classroom and took their seats. She didn't ask what had changed Vanitas's mind—in fact, she left them alone, not even pressing them to catch up with the others—and that was all Ven could ask for.

The conversation prompt for the day was 'family', and Ventus knew exactly what to start with.

" _My brother just figured out he's…well, I'm not sure what, but not straight, at least_ ," he started in Spanish.

Vanitas stared at him blankly. "You're really going to do this?" he asked, in English. Then, when Ventus shrugged and remained silent, he sighed, and repeated he question—in hesitant Spanish.

" _You said I could talk to you about it_ ," Ventus pointed out.

" _What does that have to do with your grandfather?_ "

Ventus took a moment to correct his word order, then explained. " _He has a boyfriend now—his best friend, actually. He was wondering why I never came out to our grandfather._ "

" _Your grandfather…Eraqus? He's also gay, though, right?_ "

Ventus nodded, a little embarrassed at the reminder that Vanitas seemingly knew a lot more about him and his family than he realized. " _It's more complicated than that. I was afraid he'd try to police my sexuality—or now, Sora's—for the sake of the company's image._ " He paused, wondering if he should explain what he meant, but Vanitas just nodded in understanding. "You know, you understand Spanish really well." He was sure he'd already pointed it out, but it still surprised him.

A small smile bloomed on Vanitas's lips, but he stuck to Spanish. " _So why offer to come out first?_ "

" _To gauge his reaction. Sora needs someone he can trust at home. An_ adult _. If our grandfather can't be that, I'd rather Sora finds out because I came out. Eraqus can only do so much to me anymore, compared to what he could do to Sora_."

" _So you…_ " He let out a frustrated sigh, and reverted to English. "You're putting your brother's needs before your own—sorry, I had no idea how to say that."

Ventus nodded, and offered a translation with a smile. " _That's the idea. You must think I'm stupid to put myself at risk like that._ "

To his surprise, though, Vanitas shook his head. " _I'd do the same for my sister._ "

Ven gaped at him. " _You have a sister?_ " he asked.

For a moment, Vanitas hesitated—due to the language or the information he'd just revealed, Ven wasn't sure. "Foster sister," he said in English. Then, in Spanish, " _Not that that makes a difference—she's my sister, that's all_. _For her, I—_ " He sighed once more. "She's the reason I let my foster father sell Unbirth," he said.

The sudden change of topic took Ventus aback; he frowned at Vanitas, unable to continue in Spanish. "What do you mean?"

"He threw her out," he said. "Last year, when I started at DSU. But I get a share of the profits from Unbirth. I rent her a place, close to campus, and everything else I make, I save up so she can go to college when she graduates high school in two years. I hope it'll be enough, anyway."

Ventus gaped at him, unable to contain his surprise—among other emotions. "You—"

To his surprise, Vanitas took out his phone then, searched for a few seconds, then showed him a picture. "This is her. Xion." The picture was a selfie taken by Vanitas, next to a girl, barely shorter than he was, with light brown skin and jet-black hair in a pixie cut. She was beaming at the camera, but Vanitas was looking at her, with a bright, warm smile Ventus had never seen on him before. Except maybe once, that night at the party, when he'd been looking at Ventus.

Vanitas pulled the phone back, as if burned from showing the picture to Ventus. But Ventus barely noticed—he suddenly remembered what Vanitas had said about Unbirth. "You said if you had the choice, you'd still sell it. Unbirth." He paused, searching Vanitas's gaze and finding the confirmation he was looking for. "You meant for her sake."

"Yes."

"Vanitas, I'm sor—"

"Don't," Vanitas cut him off.

His forceful tone startled Ventus. "Don't what?"

"You didn't know—because I don't want people to know. So don't act like you're sorry. Keeping this to myself is my decision, and I know exactly what it means. How people will treat me."

Ventus didn't ask why he was making that choice. The vulnerability in his eyes was almost alarming; Ventus could easily guess why he wouldn't want most people to know. Wasn't that, to an extent, why Ventus had tried to hide his family? To avoid making himself vulnerable to people's greed?

So instead, he gave Vanitas a way out. "Is she the reason you dye your hair?" he asked, smirking.

Vanitas stared at him, a surprised frown on his face. "How did you—"

"I—kind of assumed. Since you're blond—" He glanced down. Vanitas's crotch was out of sigh under the table, but Ventus hoped the implication was clear. "You know."

"You noticed," Vanitas said, smirking back.

"I was—paying close attention." Ventus felt himself starting to heat up just thinking back to that night, and he was sure it showed on his face.

Thankfully, if Vanitas noticed, he chose not to tease him about it. "Yeah, I dye it black for her. So we look more like siblings. Xion wants to get piercings too, and maybe a tattoo, but I told her that'd have to wait." He crossed his arms. "Besides, I don't look good with blond hair. Trust me."

"I sincerely doubt you'd be able to look _bad_ ," Ventus offered without thinking.

"Oh, really?"

"I mean—" Ventus started, but he couldn't find a way out of this one. So instead, he just smiled. "Yeah, really." And without missing a beat, he switched topics—and languages. " _So for our essay, I had an idea you might like—_ "


	12. Chapter 12

Ventus felt like he was putting on an act for the rest of his day. He was _dying_ to talk to someone about what he'd just found out, but he felt he owed it to Vanitas to keep it to himself. Besides, his options were Terra, who pretty much despised Vanitas, and his brothers, and he wasn't sure he wanted to hear their opinions about this yet.

For the remainder of the afternoon, he channeled his nervous energy into the video essay. Vanitas had agreed with his idea of talking about Destiny Islands, but they still needed a specific topic. And since Ventus had extended family on the Islands he could actually contact for first-hand information, he'd offered to take care of that.

Still, it was just a distraction, and he knew it. So when Terra said he was spending the weekend at Aqua's, Ven was almost relieved. He threw himself on his bed, mulling over what Vanitas had told him.

In a sense, it felt like a missing puzzle piece. Ever since Terra had told him about Unbirth, Ventus had felt like there was something _more_ to the story—especially after he'd confronted Vanitas about it. Now he knew what that was. And, okay, there were still questions left—why Vanitas's father had kicked out his sister, for instance—but the picture was starting to look complete.

Complete, and…something else. Ventus couldn't quite put his finger on what it was straight away, not until he reviewed his interactions with Vanitas over the two week since they'd met. _Attractive_ sounded like the best word for it.

Why had he sworn he would never be with Vanitas? Preconceptions based on his appearance, on his reputation? That was mostly an issue with Ventus—hardly even a valid concern to begin with. Some of the thorniest parts of his personality? The more Ventus got to know him, the more they looked like defenses—defenses Ventus was learning to read past.

Mostly, it had come down to Unbirth. Well, that, and him revealing Ventus's identity. But Ventus had made peace with the latter, and now, he had an explanation for the former.

He thought back to how _hurt_ he'd felt when Vanitas had basically thrown him out of his room. He'd been kidding himself if he thought it was just surprise at how quickly Vanitas had turned around. Just because he really _had_ wanted to get Vanitas out of his system when they'd gone into that room, didn't mean he had actually succeeded. Maybe the fact that he couldn't bring himself to regret their night together should have been a clear indicator of that.

With a groan, he covered his face with his hands as the realization hit in full force. He _liked_ Vanitas—with _feelings_ and everything.

" _Now_ what do I do?" he asked the empty bedroom.

His brain spun, remembering their encounter at Tiana's Palace and then in the dining hall. His defensive stance, earlier today, when he'd thought Ventus didn't want anything to do with him. Was that just wishful thinking on Ventus's part, or—?

Part of him wanted to get up immediately, head across the hall and knock on Vanitas's door. But most of him was terrified to even try—afraid Vanitas would say no, and completely overwhelmed by the possibility he'd say yes. Instead, he remained paralyzed in bed, torturing himself over and over with the possibilities.

* * *

Early morning found him a mess. He'd fallen asleep at some point in his musings, without even bothering to get out of the day's clothes, but sleep had been agitated, filled with dreams that mercifully didn't linger in his memory upon waking up.

His sorry state convinced him of one thing. No matter how devastating confronting Vanitas about his newfound feelings might be, it couldn't be worse than going on like this for another day.

With a laborious sigh, he sat up, and dragged himself out of the room. Just as he opened the door, he glimpsed Vanitas slipping back into his own room, and his pulse rushed at the thought of going after him, but he dismissed the thought. The least he could do was make an attempt to look presentable. Or at least, better than he did right now.

The shower spray helped him clear his thoughts. He dressed simply—it _was_ early morning on a Saturday; he'd look ridiculous if he dressed up. And finally, taking deep breaths to strengthen his resolve, he walked over to Vanitas's door. He paused briefly in front of it, feeling a rush of panic—but before he could second-guess himself, he knocked on the door.

Vanitas opened the door just a crack, and gaped at Ventus in surprise. "Ventus?" He paused, and Ventus thought he was blushing, though it was hard to tell through the sliver of an opening. "What's up?"

"Hey. Can we talk?" He glanced back—the hall was empty, but he didn't want to have this discussion out in the open.

Vanitas gazed at him questioningly, but he nodded, and stepped back to let Ventus in. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I—" He paused, realizing Vanitas was only clad in boxer briefs and a t-shirt. Clearing his throat, he tried his best to ignore that. "I was thinking back to what you told me yesterday. About your sister, and—everything else. And how—it changes everything."

"Does it?" Vanitas crossed his arms again—that same defensive stance he'd had the day before.

Ventus shook his head, cursing himself for not finding the right words. "Not about _you_. You're still the same guy. It's—it's _me_. What I couldn't admit."

He couldn't get the next few words out, try as he might, but Vanitas's stance relaxed, and his eyebrows rose in surprise. "Ventus—" he started, like it was a warning.

Ven didn't—couldn't—let him finish it. Not before he'd said his piece. So he lowered his eyes to the floor, avoiding any distraction, and cut to the chase. "I like you. I know what I said before, about 'no strings attached', and I meant it then. Or—I think I did. I was—in denial, I guess. And now I'm not. I don't even know _how_ to ask this, and I don't know if you're even interested, but I _have_ to ask, because I spent most of the night torturing myself with what-ifs, and—"

The sudden feeling of Vanitas's hand on his shoulder, near the base of his neck, forced him to stop and look up. Vanitas had closed the distance between them, the strange look in his eyes. "You _like_ me?"

"I—I do?" The sudden proximity made his voice little more than a squeak. He closed his eyes, cleared his throat, and gathered his focus. "I mean, yeah, I do."

For a moment, Vanitas held his composure. Then a grin appeared on his face. "I thought _that_ was clear when you slept with me."

Ventus huffed in frustration. "I mean, I—"

"I know what you mean." His grin turned into a genuine smile, and he leaned in.

For a fleeting moment, time seemed to slow down to a complete stop. Then Vanitas's lips found Ven's, and time just lost meaning.

The kiss was brief, and nowhere near as deep as the ones they'd already shared, but it still felt more meaningful. Maybe because of the tender way Vanitas's hand slid from his shoulder and up his neck to cup his face. Or how Ventus could feel Vanitas smile against him.

When Vanitas pulled back, he was still smiling. "It may be that I— _like_ you too," he said, insisting on word with fond amusement seeping into his tone.

Ventus stared at him, starry-eyed, the thunder of his heartbeat deafening as he tried to process the words. "So you—" He paused, losing track of his own train of thought. "I mean, we—"

"Go on," Vanitas encouraged him with a patient smile.

"I want to be your boyfriend," he managed to say. "And—for you to be mine." He paused. "I want to be boyfriends," he added, as if the repetition would make things clearer. Then he realized how forceful he sounded. "If that's okay?"

Vanitas chuckled. "Yes, that's _okay_. I would love for you to be my boyfriend. And to be yours." He grinned. "Let's be boyfriends."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

It was like all tension drained out of Ventus's body: after the evening and night he'd had, a weight lifted from his chest, leaving him light-headed. He was sure he would have lost his footing, had Vanitas not chosen this moment to wrap an arm around his waist and pull him in closer. Ventus rested his head against Vanitas's shoulder almost on instinct, leaning in—and came into contact with a hard line against his hip. After a brief jolt of surprise, a thought crossed his mind: if they were boyfriends, then—

He pressed a hand against to the thin fabric of Vanitas's underwear, feeling the warmth of his erection through it. Vanitas chuckled into his ear. "Look at me. Just one kiss and I'm hard as a rock. I'm reverting to a damn teenager because of you."

Ventus stifled a laugh as he absently rubbed his hand, enjoying the hitch in Vanitas's breath as he did. "You know, we're not that much older than teenagers," he said in a low voice.

"I know you just lost your virginity a week ago, but I haven't been this bad in _years_ ," Vanitas retorted. With a sharp intake in breath, he started to grind into Ventus's hand, burying his face in the crook of Ventus's neck.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Ven teased. Before he could say anything else, he hissed in surprise when Vanitas began to kiss his neck over his pulse point, sucking the skin between his teeth as he slid his hands beneath Ventus's shirt. In retaliation, Ventus slipped his hand under the waistband of Vanitas's boxer briefs, finding his erection by touch alone.

Vanitas hummed against the skin of his neck, and finally let go of it. Tangling a hand in the hair on the back of Ventus's hand, he brought their lips together again into a harder, more passionate kiss than before.

Ventus lost himself in that kiss, only briefly aware of the strokes of his own hand. At some point during the kiss, his own pants and underwear fell out of the way, and Vanitas's hands worked his cock to full hardness. They broke the kiss briefly when Vanitas tugged Ven's shirt off, then resumed it. The desperate moans he made into Ven's mouth as he grasped at his shoulder with both hands, as if holding on for dear life, were intoxicating.

Ven pulled Vanitas's underwear down, then secured a hand on the hem of Vanitas's shirt. His free hand drifted lower, cupping the curve of Vanitas's ass and pulling him closer, grinding their erections together.

With a strangled gasp, Vanitas pulled away, his face flushed and his eyes glazed over with lust when he looked at Ven. He removed his t-shirt in one swift motion, tossed it aside, and stared deeply into Ventus's eyes. "I want you to fuck me," he said, his voice unwavering. Then, with a hint of uncertainty, "If you're still up for trying?"

Ventus took in the sight in front of him—this boy, naked and desperate to have him. In the morning sunlight, he looked even more gorgeous than before, almost radiant. That sight chased every doubt that clawed at Ventus's gut. "I am," he said. "Just—guide me."

"Of course." Vanitas stepped back, towards the bed, and Ventus followed him there, kneeling between Vanitas's legs.

The bottle of lube, he noted, was out on the nightstand. He was pretty sure it hadn't been there the last time—or this empty. "You been active?" he teased as he reached for it.

"Only by myself," Vanitas said, pulling his down for a brief kiss. "As I said, you're turning me into a damn teenager again."

"I hope you saved some of that energy for me." He wasn't sure where that confidence was coming from, but the admiring way Vanitas looked at him in response made him feel he was on the right track.

"Hang on." Vanitas reached for the nightstand drawer, taking a condom packet out of it. "We should be the same size, so you can use one of mine."

"That's convenient," Ven couldn't help but point out, but he took it anyway.

"Do you need—"

"I know what to do with _that_ , at least," he said, demonstrating as he rolled the condom over his own cock. "The rest, though—"

"Just use lube, and take it slow."

"Do I have to—use my fingers, or—"

"No, just—I should be fine."

He briefly averted his eyes—or at least, that was what Ventus assumed, until he followed Vanitas's gaze and saw the toy abandoned on the edge of the bed. "Oh," he said. His state of undress suddenly made a little more sense.

"I'd barely gotten started," Vanitas said, almost apologetic.

"I came in at the perfect time, then."

"No," Vanitas said, pulling him down for another kiss. "That's what you're _about_ to do."

Laughing, Ven kissed him back, then got back up on his knees. "Okay, well—" He squirted lube over his own erection, stroking himself a few times to spread it—and then a few more, smirking, when he noticed the way Vanitas was watching him. Then, finally, he aligned the tip of his cock with Vanitas's entrance, and pushed in.

He went slow—slower than he remembered Vanitas going—and nearly came before he was even all the way in. The sudden pressure and heat of Vanitas's body around him was overwhelming, as was the way Vanitas breathed heavily as he relaxed around him. It took all of his self-control to keep going torturously slowly, to grow familiar with all these new sensations amidst the flood of information that rushed to his brain.

He pulled back, faster, then thrusted back in in a single, fluid motion. Below him, Vanitas arched his back in response, eyes closed and gripping the sheets with both hands.

"You okay?" he couldn't help but ask.

"You kidding?" Vanitas's voice was a delirious whine. "You're doing great!"

Emboldened by Vanitas's words, he gave one more thrust, and was rewarded when a strangled, high-pitched moan tore out of Vanitas's mouth. Ventus's eyes fell on his cock then, standing straight and unattended, a drop of moisture leaking from the tip. Readjusting his position, he reached for it with his hand coated in lube, while he grabbed Vanitas's hip with his free hand.

He started thrusting more and more, synchronizing his strokes around Vanitas's cock with his own movements. After the first few strokes, Vanitas's moans weren't strangled anymore; they were load and fully-formed. Vanitas finally opened his eyes, locking them on Ventus as he cried out in pleasure.

Ven was pretty sure he wouldn't last very long at this rate, but he held for as long as he could. His vision was dancing from the strain when he felt more than he saw Vanitas come into his hand, shooting as far up as Ven's own chest. As he did, Ven felt Vanitas's hole tighten around him, and that was as far as he could control himself. He came, hard and long, his orgasm washing over him, cutting off his breath and most of his brain, and feeling like it would just never end.

Yet when it did, barely a few seconds had passed. Hazy, Ventus managed to remember to pull out, though he had to ask Vanitas for instructions tying up the condom. Tossing it in the trash, he hesitated by the foot of the bed. His legs felt wobbly, and he wanted nothing more than to lie down in the bed next to Vanitas, but he remembered the way Vanitas had helped him clean up the last time.

"So—how do I do the—" he paused, searching his memory for the word Vanitas had used. "The aftercare?"

Vanitas looked up at him, eyebrows raised. "You remembered."

Ven nodded solemnly. "Yeah. That, and everything else about that night."

"You don't _have_ to do it."

"But I want to. Pay it forward, right?"

Vanitas returned his nod. "There should be a towel hanging behind the closet door."

With a nod, Ven went to get it—a soft, black, fluffy towel, perfectly clean. He returned to the bed, and sat down beside Vanitas, gently working to clean him up. He wanted to say something—anything that wasn't asking for information—but he didn't trust himself to do so. This almost felt more intimate than the sex itself, or at least, intimate in a different way that Ventus wasn't familiar with yet.

When Ventus was done, Vanitas grabbed the towel and tossed it aside, pulling him down into a kiss. This time, Ven allowed himself to lie down on the bed beside Vanitas. To let himself enjoy this moment—not just the physical act, but what it _meant_.

He smiled, and Vanitas smiled back. That smile held more emotion than Ventus was even able to name.


	13. Chapter 13

They must have dozed off, because the next thing Ventus knew, he was waking up, his limbs tangled with Vanitas's. They were both still naked, but in this moment, right after waking up, it didn't feel sexual so much as vulnerable—in a good way. Perhaps it had to do with Vanitas's sleeping, unguarded face. He'd dropped his guard with Ventus several times by now, but there was still something special about seeing him like this.

With a contented sigh, Ven scooted closer, nuzzling into Vanitas's chest. Without waking up, as if by reflex, Vanitas wrapped an arm around him. The gesture felt protective, and with it, Ven's senses were overwhelmed with Vanitas's presence in every direction. The quiet sound of his breathing. The smooth, firm warmth of his skin, the weight of his arm, and the cold, hard touch of his piercings where they brushed against Ventus. The scent of him, mixed with the musk of sex. The taste of his tongue lingering on Ventus's tongue, of his skin on Ventus's lips. And, if Ventus opened his eyes, the sight of his body laid out bare in front of him.

The moment was still, and for once, Ven's mind was still as well. His heart raced with the realization of what _this_ meant, of what they'd agreed to, but his brain was giving him some peace for now, allowing him to just _feel_. That was all he wanted or needed for now.

He wasn't sure how long he stayed this way—he might even have fallen back asleep at some point, or very close to it. When Vanitas stirred against him, it brought him back to full alertness, but neither of them moved immediately. Vanitas's heart started drumming a little faster into his ear as he woke up, Ven noticed, smiling at the thought.

Vanitas stroked his back gently, and Ventus finally pulled away, just so he could meet his gaze—and his smile. "Hey," he said, his voice more sleepy than he'd expected.

"Hey," Vanitas said back, and leaned forward to kiss Ventus briefly.

There was really nothing else to say, so neither of them said anything for a moment.

Then, finally, Ventus's brain decided the time for peace was at an end. "Oh, shit!" he let out as his memories returned to him. He sat up in the bed, scanning the room for his clothes.

Before he could stand, Vanitas's hand grabbed his forearm, holding him back. Ventus glanced back, taking in the frown on Vanitas's face, equal parts worried and terrified. "What's wrong? Is it—"

Ventus opened his mouth, then closed it, suddenly realizing what Vanitas must be assuming. "It's—it's not you." He caught sight of the breath Vanitas released, but didn't point it out. "I promised Roxas we'd go pick a car for him today."

Vanitas glanced at the nightstand. "It's one p.m.," he noted, even though Ven had followed his gaze to the alarm clock.

"Yeah. I should be going," Ventus said, casting an apologetic gaze towards Vanitas. "I'm sorry to ruin the moment, I just—"

Vanitas shook his head. "It's okay; I understand. I wouldn't break a promise I made to Xion either." In spite of his words, there was a hint of regret in his tone, one Ventus felt himself.

There was nothing to do about it, though. Ventus stood up, briefly feeling awkward being naked in someone else's room now that his brain wasn't filled up with lust. He glanced back at Vanitas self-consciously, but the way Vanitas was looking at him—admiring, with a hint of fondness hidden in his lascivious grin—made the feeling fade away.

He found his clothes on the floor, keeping Vanitas at the edge of his vision as he put his underwear back on, then his pants. Then he couldn't help but resist teasing him. "You know, I'm pretty sure you should look at me like that when I'm taking my clothes _off_ , not putting them on."

Vanitas chuckled. "You look good either way." He sat up, leaning back against his pillows. "And maybe I'm still wrapping my head around our discussion earlier."

"You haven't changed your mind, right?"

"Have you?"

"Of course not." And just like that, the idea hit him, and he blurted out, "Do you want to come with me?"

For a brief moment, Vanitas stared at him silently, his lips parted in surprise. "Come with you—"

"To meet my brother. Well, probably both of my brothers, I'm sure Sora will want to come along." He paused, suddenly realizing how he sounded. "If it's too fast—"

"No, I—I'd love to," Vanitas cut him off. "I just don't want to get in the way."

"You won't." Ventus smiled at him, and walked back towards the bed, kneeling on the mattress by Vanitas's feet. "When I was asking to be your boyfriend, I meant—the whole package." He chuckled. "Besides, I've talked about you to my brothers too much _not_ to introduce you, now that we're together."

Vanitas raised an eyebrow. "You talked about me?"

An awkward smile formed on Ventus's lips as he realized what he'd said. "Maybe?"

"How intriguing," Vanitas teased.

"I think you already know most of my inner conflict when it comes to you, by now," Ventus pointed out, but Vanitas's grin only grew larger. "If you're gonna come with me just to make fun of me—"

"I would _never_ —"

Ven scoffed, and hopped off the bed. "Whatever you say."

He'd barely taken one step away from the bed when Vanitas caught up with him, circling his arms around Ven to stop him. Through the fabric of his pants, Ven was keenly aware that Vanitas was still naked—and suddenly it didn't feel so innocently intimate anymore.

"Do I have the time to shower first?" Vanitas asked in his ears. His voice was low—barely above a whisper.

Ventus caught the implication—and he couldn't resist it. "I could use a shower myself," he admitted, keeping his tone as neutral as he could. "We'll have to make it quick."

"Disappointing, but I can work with that," Vanitas simply said. He opened his arms, but Ventus felt as though he hadn't truly been let go of.

* * *

To Vanitas's credit, he did do his best to keep the shower brief. It was almost disappointing, as Ventus could have gladly spent the entire afternoon exploring all the possibilities of showering together with his boyfriend—a term he still had trouble thinking of without feeling like screaming in joy. But under Vanitas's commands and his expert hands, both of them were quickly hard, over the edge, and back on Earth just in time to clean up and get dressed.

Ventus didn't regret the experience, short as it was. The bathroom's steamy atmosphere leant it a dreamlike quality that worked with the short time frame. And, truth be told, they did need to hurry. He'd texted Roxas that he'd be late, but he didn't want to make his brother wait forever. As it was, it was almost two in the afternoon by the time they got into Ven's car and drove off towards Daybreak.

During the entire drive, Ven wondered what he was most nervous about—Vanitas meeting his brothers, or the other way around. He had deliberated warning Roxas in his text, then decided against it, since that would only lead to Roxas asking him follow-up questions and delaying him even further; so he knew his brothers would be surprised—shocked, even, since he hadn't caught them up on the latest developments. But he knew his brothers—he could almost predict their exact reactions—whereas he had no idea whatsoever what Vanitas would do.

Vanitas must have sensed his nervousness. "Relax," he said as Ventus left the highway. "I know I'm not typical boyfriend material, but it won't be _that_ bad."

"It's not that," Ventus said. "You shouldn't even _say_ that. You're perfectly fine."

"You didn't think so less than twenty-four hours ago," Vanitas pointed out, and Ventus couldn't argue—because he was right. "I know what image I created for myself."

"It really isn't that, though," Ven insisted. "They know most of what happened. I'm sure they'll trust I have a good reason to change my mind about you."

"If it helps, it's fine if you want to tell them about Xion."

Ventus glanced a him, surprised. "You don't have to do that," he said.

"But I _want_ to. I agreed to be _your_ boyfriend too, you know."

Sighing, Ventus dropped the argument. "We'll see, I guess. But really, I'm more curious what you'll think of them." He already felt jittery just driving in the streets of his hometown with Vanitas in the passenger seat. "I basically raised them since I was thirteen. We have a complicated relationship, and—honestly, I don't know what it looks like from the outside."

"As long as you're not sleeping with them—" Vanitas teased, then paused. "You're _not_ , right?"

Ventus rolled his eyes. "Of course I'm not. Don't be ridiculous."

"Then I'm sure I can take it."

His reassurance came just as Ven's family home came into view. Ventus idly wondered how he always seemed to have such perfect timing when they were talking, as he pulled up in front of the house.

"Come on," he said as he already exited the car. The twins would probably want to leave as quickly as possible, but he'd rather make the introductions outside of the car, while everyone could actually look at each other.

Vanitas trailed behind him to the front door, but Ventus hadn't even reached the doorbell when Sora emerged from the house with an excited smile. "All right, car time!" he said in lieu of greeting. His gaze drifted past Ventus's shoulder and grew curious. "Hi! Are you—"

Ven glanced back, noticing the stunned look on Vanitas's face. "Sora, this is—Vanitas. Vanitas, Sora, one of my brothers."

Vanitas blinked, and finally, wiped the look off his face and took a step forward. "Nice to meet you," he said, and even though he'd regained his composure, he still sounded rattled.

Sora shook his hand with a grin. "Yeah! I heard a lot about you. Ven didn't tell us how _cool_ you looked. Love the piercings and the tattoos."

"Thanks," Vanitas said with an amused smile. "If you want, I can—"

"You're _not_ telling my brother how to get those," Ven intervened. He couldn't help but relax anyway.

That was when Roxas came out of the house. "Hey, Ven—" He suddenly froze as his eyes fell on Vanitas. "You're—Xion's brother. What're you doing here?"

"Ah," Vanitas said as he turned to Roxas. "Twins. I forgot." He smiled, and extended his hand. "Vanitas Ansem. Yeah, Xion's my sister."

"Vanitas?" Roxas turned to Ven. " _Your_ Vanitas?"

Ventus stared at them incredulously, trying his best to ignore the cocky smirk on Vanitas's face. "You know each other?"

"Only from sight," Vanitas said.

"I told you there was a new girl in my orchestra class," Roxas said. "Her name's Xion. Her brother—" he nodded towards Vanitas. "He comes pick her up after class."

"Oh," Ven said. "So you already know about Xion, then." He realized it wasn't all he needed to explain, but it still felt like a relief not having to force Vanitas to tell his brothers about her.

Roxas frowned, but he didn't ask what he meant. "Is he here because you're—together now?"

Immediately, Sora gasped and stared at them with wide eyes. Ventus shifted on his feet; he hadn't expected to be uncovered _that_ easily. Still, he'd come to tell them about it; no point in denying it now. "Yeah. That's why I asked him to come with me—so you guys could meet. We've only gotten together this morning," he added, anticipating Roxas's next question. "It's still fresh."

"Wow!" Sora let out. "Congrats, guys!"

"Yeah," Roxas said, more quietly. "Anyway, can we go?" Without waiting, he brushed past Ventus and kept going towards his car.

With a sigh, Ventus gestured to Vanitas and Sora. "Hold on," he said quietly before going after his brother. He caught up to him just before he could climb in the backseat of Ven's car, and gently grabbed his shoulder to stop him. "Ro," he said, calmly. "Talk to me."

Roxas sighed. "You'll think I'm selfish."

"If you don't tell me what's wrong, I can't—"

"I just hoped today would be about _me_."

Ventus couldn't help but flinch at that. "It's still about you—"

"You're late because of _him_ , aren't you? And he's here, and it'll just—"

"Change things?" Ven guessed. "You're right—I'm late because I got carried away with Vanitas this morning, but this afternoon's still all about you." He paused. "I asked him to come specifically so you and Sora could meet him."

"I know, and I'm happy you did." Roxas huffed in frustration. "I'm not even making any sense!" he said.

"You're afraid that me having a boyfriend will mean I have less room for you, but you're happy I found one anyway?" Ventus suggested. "It's okay; I understand."

Roxas let out another deep sigh. "Why do you have to be so _great_ all the time?"

Ven scoffed. "I'm really not—I just know you, that's all." He grimaced briefly. "If you want, we can go," he offered. "Just the two of us—we can even ditch Sora. If it'll make you feel better. I'll make sure Vanitas understands."

"No," Roxas shook his head. "Then I'll just feel even more selfish. It's fine, really, I'm just—I don't know."

"We can talk about it until you do?"

"Maybe later. Or I'll talk to Doctor Sid about it. Right now we should go, before we run out of time."

The rejection stung, but Ven didn't want to force his brother. "As long as you promise you'll talk to me if there's anything I can actually do."

Roxas looked at him out the corner of his eyes, his face forming a pout that made him look like such a stereotypical teenager it felt out of place on him. "Fine," he conceded, and climbed into the car without another word.

Ventus turned away from him, walking back up to Sora and Vanitas, still waiting by the house's front door, Sora staring at Vanitas with unabashed admiration as they laughed together. When Ven came closer, however, Vanitas immediately turned to him with a worried look.

"Everything all right?"

"Mostly," Ven said. He didn't feel comfortable enough sharing all the details of his brother's mental health with Vanitas yet—not when he didn't fully understand this new development himself. "We should get going."

Sora dashed towards the car, although Ventus had noticed the hint of worry in his eyes. "He's a great kid," Vanitas said, walking up to stand by Ventus's side. "I didn't think the popular type like him could openly accept me."

Idly, Ven reached for Vanitas's hand and laced their fingers together. They'd never done something like that, and he almost expected Vanitas to recoil at the contact, but he just squeezed back gently. "Why would you think that? You're a badass. He's dazzled."

"Maybe I'm not used to being a badass." Vanitas chuckled. "Are you sure Roxas is okay? If it's my fault, I can always go—I can get back to the city on my own—"

"I offered that," Ventus admitted. "He said no. He's—going through things. Better roll with it." His mental health, on a tenuous recovery, but also the changes in his family—Ventus moving out and now bringing Vanitas home, and Sora's new relationship and sexuality. Ventus could imagine how those changes might scare him, and how that fear might conflict with his attempts at getting better. But he couldn't explain that to Vanitas—not yet, not until Roxas accepted him and gave Ven the green light. He owed him that much, at least.

"Should I be offended you 'offered'?" Vanitas asked, but when Ven turned to look at him, he wore a teasing smile. "I get it," he said. "I'd do the same—"

"For your sister, yeah." Ventus scoffed. "I can't believe they know each other." Roxas hadn't mentioned her much—not even enough to tell Ventus her name—but Ven remembered him talking about her a couple times over the past week. He wondered what it meant, if anything.

"What _I_ can't believe is I didn't know that was your brother. Your grandfather did some impressive work keeping their faces out of public record."

"That's mostly my doing, actually," Ventus said. "Not to brag or anything."

"Oh. Guess I should have known." Vanitas paused, suddenly tense. "Well, impressive work anyway."

"Thanks," Ven simply said. "Shall we go?"

* * *

It took them three hours and four dealerships before Roxas and Ventus could manage to agree on a car, unabashedly arguing about how unnecessary it was that Ventus wanted him to get parking sensors and air conditioning and he could absolutely do without those, thank you very much. The arguing felt reassuring, more than anything; at least Roxas was back to talking openly to him.

It was as if Roxas's earlier outburst hadn't happened—though Ventus hadn't forgotten, and he doubted Roxas had either. But he was making an effort, even going so far as to talk to Vanitas. First he asked about Xion—smalltalk, how she was doing and why she took a class in Daybreak if she lived in Radiant City. Sora joined in, asking Roxas about Xion, and why they'd barely heard of her, a question Roxas dodged expertly.

But as they drove to the fourth dealership, Roxas asked Vanitas how he and Ven got together.

"You should ask your brother," Vanitas said, amused. "He's the one who barged into my room this morning to make his declaration."

Ventus felt himself starting to blush. "It just hit me after last night."

"Ooh," Sora chimed in.

"Not like _that_ ," Ventus objected over the sound of Sora and Vanitas laughing. "Yesterday, Vanitas told me about his sister, and—it changed my understanding of things."

"You mean like how he sells drugs?" Roxas asked pointedly.

Any sense of hilarity died in the car. "Well, he only invented it—" Ventus started, but Vanitas interrupted him.

"It's okay—I might as well be selling it myself." He glanced into the rear view mirror, and Ventus guessed his eyes locked onto Roxas's. "Our father kicked my sister out. It was the only way I had to provide for her."

"Why'd he kick her out?" Roxas pressed.

"Ro!" Ven interjected. Then, to Vanitas, "You don't have to answer that."

"I—it's okay. I get that your brother's curious." Ven wondered if he was imagining the implication—that he understood if Ventus was curious, too. "It might be best if you ask her directly, though, Roxas. Your next class is Tuesday, right?" He glanced at Ventus. "You should come too," he said. "You waned to meet her, after all."

"Only if Roxas will let me come," he said, then he realized he had to explain that to Vanitas. "We have a code—so I don't embarrass them."

"Not _too_ much, anyway," Sora teased, but he went mostly ignored, Vanitas still looking at Ventus questioningly, and Ventus glancing at Roxas in the rear view mirror. Roxas didn't look convinced, but he nodded anyway.

"Okay, you can come," he said. "Just this once."

They reached the dealership, but as they exited the car, Roxas zoomed around it and planted himself in front of Vanitas. "Can we talk a minute?"

Ventus stared at the two of them, frozen in sudden panic, but Vanitas glanced at him and nodded, and there wasn't much he could do beyond walk in with Sora and talk to the owner as he waited. It didn't take much more than the minute Roxas had asked for, but it felt like forever to Ven's anxious mind. Vanitas stood back as Roxas came by Ven's side, introducing himself to the salesman and asking if they could see the car they'd come for.

As they followed him through the building, Roxas whispered to Ventus, "Look, I'm sorry if I made things awkward."

"Just tell me if I should be worried," Ven replied in a similarly low voice.

"I just told Vanitas I'm happy you got together. And I am. I'm just looking out for you, you know?"

"I know," Ven said. "You don't have to, but I'm glad you're doing it. But I'd still like to know what's going on with you today."

"Me too," Roxas said with a snort. "But it's not fair of me to dish it out on you and your new boyfriend. Thanks again for doing all this, by the way. I'm really feeling this one."

Roxas was correct: a short time and some paperwork later, they'd reached a deal, and Roxas received a set of keys for his new—well, used—car. Giddy with excitement, he took it immediately on a test drive, Sora practically jumping into the passenger seat, with the promise to meet up back home.

"You're just gonna tail them the whole time, aren't you?" Vanitas asked, bemused, as soon as they were alone in Ventus's car.

"I don't—" The thought had occurred to him, but he hadn't made up his mind yet—until Vanitas asked. "Yeah, I am."

As he followed his brother down the quiet streets of Daybreak, Vanitas spoke again. "Sora asked me if I was out to my father, you know."

Ventus glanced at him, surprised. "When did he do that?"

"Back at your house." He paused. "You were talking to him, right? About coming out to your grandfather? Because he wasn't sure if he should do it himself?"

"Yeah, that was Sora." Ventus knew what Vanitas was getting at—this was an opportunity to make good on that promise. Part of him had actually hoped Eraqus would have seen him and Vanitas earlier, making it easier to breach the subject with him. But in hindsight, he was glad it hadn't happened—not for his sake, but for Vanitas's. "Would it be okay if—if I did that now? If my grandfather's here, I mean."

"You don't need to ask my permission to come out," Vanitas pointed out.

"No, but—I don't want to put you on the spot, either. I can do it sometime you're not there."

With an understanding nod, Vanitas said, "If you make the call, I'll stand by you." He smirked. "I'm not scared of Eraqus Enix."

Ventus scoffed. "You've never met him."

A brief pause. "I have, actually. A few times." Ventus glanced at him, surprised. "Once through my father's lab, and once through a journal that published me. I'm not entirely sure, due to double blind standards, but I think he was also a peer reviewer on one of my papers."

Ventus had only gotten part of what he'd just said, but he got the gist of it, and he gaped at Vanitas briefly before returning his attention to the road, and his brother's car ahead. "Wow. I should've known."

"Maybe." He paused. "You know, come to think of it, I think I saw you at the company's office, back in—January? X-Blade Industries was trying to buy out the patent for Unbirth."

"They were?" Ventus asked, incredulous—though perhaps he shouldn't have been. The company's reach was wide, and while recreational drugs weren't part of heir business, he could easily imagine the other applications of Unbirth. "Did you—"

"We didn't sell. It wasn't my call—I was just there as a spokesman."

"Would you have? If it'd been your call?"

"I don't know." Vanitas sighed. "Point is, your grandfather tried to make me change my mind—I guess he didn't realize it was my father's decision. I know how he can be."

"He wasn't there? Your father?"

Vanitas shook his head. "The less said about _that_ , the better."

Ventus frowned, but the implication to drop the subject was clear. So Ventus switched courses, adopting a teasing tone. "No offense, but that's not _nearly_ enough to know how bad he can be."

"It doesn't matter. I'll still stand by you."

The words filled Ventus with a giddy, light feeling. He was still smiling as he finally parked, slightly down the road from his home—Roxas having taken the spot right in front of it.

"Well, I hope you mean that," he said. They caught up to the twins in the driveway, and Ven called Sora over. "I'm gonna tell Grandfather," he said. "About Vanitas and me. Like we said." Sora stood there, petrified, and Ventus continued. "You don't have to come out straight away, even if he takes it well. I just wanted you to know."

Finally, Sora blinked and nodded. "Yeah. Thanks. And—good luck."

Ventus nodded at him, and pressed on, feeling a sudden rush of adrenaline at the thought of what he was about to do. If it hadn't been for Vanitas's presence at his back, he wasn't sure he would have made it all the way to the living room, where Eraqus sat, unperturbed as always. It was only when he noticed Vanitas standing with his grandsons that he looked up, eyebrows raised at the newcomer.

"Hello, Grandfather," Ventus greeted him, remaining formal. Roxas disappeared up the stairs, but Sora lingered in the doorway. It seemed to Ven as though he was hiding behind Vanitas, though he couldn't be sure without glancing back.

"You took care of Roxas's car, I take it."

"Yes. But that's not why I'm here." He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. "Grandfather, this is Vanitas. He's my boyfriend." He paused, but there was no reaction. "I'm dating him. I'm gay."

There was a moment of silence, during which it sounded like the words were echoing—but perhaps it was just the rush of blood in his ears tricking him.

"I see," Eraqus finally said. "Well, you know I was married to a man, so you should already know that I'm fine with it." His eyes fell on Vanitas. "We've met before. Vanitas— _Ansem_. Correct?" He insisted on the name hard enough that, even though he was asking for a confirmation, it was clear he already remembered Vanitas.

Vanitas held his gaze steadily. "Correct."

Eraqus hummed softly. "As they say, if you have noting nice to say—" He returned his gaze to Ventus. "I appreciate you coming to me about it, I truly do."

His cold tone, and the implied insult, undercut the weight of his words to Ventus's ears. Ven suddenly felt grateful very Vanitas had told him they'd met before. "Grandfather, if this is because of your business dealings with him—"

"Not at all." He stood up. "Now if you don't mind, I have files that need attending."

On that abrupt dismissal, Eraqus left the room, barely acknowledging Sora as he walked past him.

Once they'd heard his footsteps vanish outside, followed by the sound of the door to his office, Vanitas finally spoke. "Well, I can see why you were worried," he said.

Ventus shook his head slowly. "What even _was_ that?"

Sora walked into the room, awkwardly standing by Ventus. "Are you okay?"

Was he? He wasn't even sure how he felt. "I—It could have been worse, I guess." He glanced at Vanitas, his curiosity muffled by worry. What if this disapproval escalated, and Eraqus tried to put pressure on his relationship? He had little in the way of leverage left over Ventus, who had already access to most of his inheritance as per his parents' will. Well—that wasn't true. Eraqus still had custody of the twins. That was, ultimately, what made Ventus afraid. Would he go so far as to use them against him?

He shook his head. He was spiraling, and this hadn't even really been about him. He turned to Sora. "What about you?"

"That—wasn't what I expected," he admitted. "But—well, he always liked Riku, right?" He cast Vanitas an apologetic glance. "So he should be okay with us?"

"Honestly, after what just happened, I don't know what to think anymore," Ventus confessed. "But you're right—it does look like it." He _wanted_ it to be okay for Sora—so his brother had an adult to rely on at home. Still, he couldn't find it in himself to be wholly optimistic anymore. "Just take a moment to think it over, okay? Maybe have Riku there when you do it. Kairi, too, if she's okay with it."

Sora managed a weak grin. "Yeah, that was the plan anyway," he said. "So, are you guys staying over for dinner?"

Ven glanced at Vanitas. His face was a mask, but Ventus could see a hint of discomfort leaking through. "I think we should make ourselves scarce for today," he said.

Sora chuckled. "Okay. I'm meeting with Riku in half an hour anyway, so—see you next weekend?"

"At the latest," Ventus promised.

"All right." Turning to Vanitas, Sora added, "Nice meeting you! Hope we can see each other again."

"I'm not planning on going anywhere," Vanitas replied with a smile.

And even though it didn't sound like much, Ventus was glad that Sora ran up the stairs, because the words made his heart beat just a little harder, and he was certain he was blushing from it. He leaned against Vanitas's shoulder, letting the touch ground him as he tried to regain a semblance of balance.

"Thanks for being here," he finally said.

"Are you sure? From where I stood, it sounded like I was the only thing your grandfather disapproved of."

"Yeah. It doesn't matter. Thanks anyway."

They were halfway to the door when Ventus paused in the hallway as a thought crossed his mind. "Hold on a second," he said, and he rushed up the staircase and into his old bedroom.

The telescope stood where it had been the last time. This time, though, Ventus took it with him when he left.


	14. Chapter 14

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Vanitas's question came halfway through the ride back to DSU, and it took Ventus by surprise. "Okay about?"

"Your grandfather." He paused. "I know he didn't—throw you out or anything, but I saw your face. It got to you."

"I was shocked, but I'm okay" Ventus said. "It's hard to explain." He himself wasn't sure how to explain it, not to someone who hadn't live his life for the five years since his parents' death. "My grandfather—I don't hate him, but I don't need his approval, either. There's a reason I only came out to him for Sora's sake, not my own."

"Okay. Just making sure."

Ventus caught the edge in his voice—like he was conceding, but not satisfied. "Are _you_ okay?" The glance Vanitas shot him spoke volumes. "It sounds to me like you're projecting your own issues here," he said. Vanitas fell silent, and after a moment, Ventus glanced at him, worried he'd said something wrong. "Sorry, I'm overstepping—"

"No. No, you have a point."

Another silence. "Wanna talk about it?"

"Later." With a sigh, Vanitas relaxed his pose. "Really, later. It's old stuff—it can wait. I just wanted to make sure you're fine."

"I'll hold you to that," Ventus said. "But yes, I am. What about you? Any regrets about dating me yet, after meeting my family?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Vanitas said with a small, relaxed laugh. "Your brothers are great."

"You sure? Because Roxas didn't exactly go easy on you."

"You told him everything," Vanitas pointed out. "About us—since we met. Right?"

"Yeah, I did. Is that—weird?"

"No, but—well, he has good reasons to be wary of me." He paused. "So should you."

"I'm over it," Ventus said. "I promise. And you? Coming to terms with—what did you call me again? Pretentious and judgmental?"

"Self-important, not pretentious," Vanitas corrected. "And I was wrong on both counts."

It took all the effort Ven was capable of not to preen. "See? You're over it too."

"You know, considering it hasn't even been twenty-four hours yet since we got together, I'd say you're a little too optimistic."

"It's barely been _twelve_ hours. Should we celebrate that?" Ventus teased. "Our…half-day anniversary?"

Vanitas stared at him, deadpan. "Don't even _joke_ about that."

"Okay. I'll save the celebration for a full day, then." Ventus couldn't help but laugh at the dismay on Vanitas's face. "I'm kidding. But what's so wrong about me being happy that we're together?"

"Nothing's _wrong_."

"Good. Because I'm not going to repress it."

Vanitas opened his mouth to retort, but it never came; instead, a smile appeared on his face, and he remained silent.

* * *

There was a sense of peace hanging between them for the rest of the ride; but when they exited the car and Vanitas reached for Ven's hand, and they walked back to the residence with their shoulders bumping into one another, that peace was quickly replaced with something else in Ven's mind.

"You know," he said as the elevator doors closed behind them, "we have the rest of the weekend to ourselves." He wrapped his arms around Vanitas's neck, as if to make his intent clearer.

Vanitas ran his hands up from Ven's hips and along his sides, but a teasing smirk formed on his face. "Not the _entire_ weekend. I know for a fact your Biology TA expects you to keep working hard on those lab reports."

Ventus groaned. "So much for sleeping my way to success. _You're_ supposed to be the bad boy who extorts favors out of me."

"Tough luck. Though, for what it's worth—" He brushed a hand to the side of Ventus's face, electrifying Ven's skin under his fingers. "We still have the entire evening to ourselves."

"I like your thinking." Ven couldn't hold himself back any longer: feeling suddenly bold, he leaned in and kissed Vanitas.

Just then, the elevator doors opened, startling Ventus into stepping back. When he turned around, he saw Lauriam, casting them a vaguely curious look as he waited for them to leave the elevator. But when they crossed the hallway together towards the door to Vanitas's room, Ventus was sure he caught the man smirking at them.

He put the thought out of his mind—they had no reason to hide, did they?—and followed Vanitas into the bedroom.

"So—now what?" Vanitas asked.

Ventus couldn't help but stare at him. "You're asking _me_? Aren't you supposed to know what couples do more than me?"

Vanitas frowned back at him. "First of all, I'm pretty sure 'what couples do' is whatever they feel like doing. Second of all, how many boyfriends do you think I've had, exactly?"

"A few?" Ventus hasarded, suddenly feeling like he had to tread carefully. "You obviously have experience. Not that there's anything wrong with—"

"I've _slept_ with a few guys," Vanitas said. "Thirteen, to be exact. But the first one was the only one I dated. Well—it was complicated, but I think it counts as dating."

"Oh." Ventus felt another rush of embarrassment rising. "Sorry—I shouldn't have assumed. And I meant what I said, there's nothing wrong with it." He sighed. "I've made this awkward, haven't I?"

"I'm the one who brought it up. I just wanted to lay it out for you. After—" He hesitated, and Ventus waited patiently for him to continue. "After you took me with you to meet your family, it's only fair I'd give some personal information in return. Something like that."

"Okay," Ventus said. "You don't have to, but—thanks for doing it."

"Right." Vanitas nodded, as if to move on. "So. What do you want to do?"

Ven didn't have to think for very long—mostly because hunger had been gnawing at the pit of his stomach for the whole ride back. "Like I told Sora, we haven't eaten anything all day, so—"

Vanitas chuckled. "If you want to ask me out, there are more straightforward ways to do it."

"I was thinking more about ordering in," Ventus admitted. "So we can—stay here."

For a brief moment, Ventus was worried he'd disappointed Vanitas by suggesting that, but the smile he got in return was genuine. "Takeout, then. Any ideas?"

"If you're as hungry as I am—anything, as long as it's a lot," Ventus said. "It's my treat."

* * *

It wasn't long until their food arrived—probably a little more than was reasonable. Ventus had ordered from four different places: an assortment of dim sum from a Chinese place, a large pizza that was even more gigantic than he'd imagined, and a collection of entrees from a traditional Destiny Islander restaurant that Vanitas was a regular at. And, of course, dessert from Tiana's Palace.

They moved to Ventus's room, mostly to turn on the Playstation and have something to do while they made their way through the food. Vanitas wasn't much of a gamer, by his own admission; after a decent attempt at playing co-op, he gave up, but suggested Ventus should just keep playing.

"You sure?" Ventus asked, unable to hold back a frown.

"Yeah. I like watching Xion play, too. I'm used to it, it's—it gives me an excuse to do nothing for a while." With a smirk, he slid closer to Ventus on the small couch. "Well, maybe not _nothing_ ," he said, pressing his lips to the crook of Ventus's neck.

In spite of his teasing, he mostly just cuddled up to Ventus, idly talking and eating as Ventus played practically on autopilot. Their earlier discussion still lingered in Ventus's mind, and he couldn't help but ask, "Did you do anything like that with your last boyfriend?"

"No," Vanitas simply said. "We never did anything that—nice. As I said, it was complicated."

Ven glanced at Vanitas, searching his face for hints to change the subject. "How did it end?" he asked cautiously.

"It ended when I left home and enrolled at DSU." After a brief pause, he added, "He ended it. I guess I was only interesting when I was around."

"Home? I—kind of assumed you lived in Radiant City already, since your lab's here, and your sister, too—"

"Yep. I lived with my father, across town. DSU was still too far; that's how dependent our relationship was on proximity." He let out a bitter chuckle. "I would have ended it too—he just got to it first. Just for the record. I'm not hung up over him."

"I—hadn't even thought about that," Ventus admitted.

Vanitas looked up at him with a mixture of surprise and amazement. "Really? You weren't even a little concerned?"

Ven shrugged. "You don't really seem like the type to pine. Besides, I trust you. Is that too soon?" Everything did feel like it was moving fast, but not in a way that made him concerned.

"I don't know. But it's nice." Vanitas nuzzled into the crook of his neck again, simply resting his face against Ven's skin. For a moment, all Ventus heard were his deep breaths. Then, he said, "Don't lose that."

Ven felt himself blushing, but he said nothing.

* * *

Against all odds, they managed to make their way through the impressive pile of food Ventus had ordered. Ven felt halfway to falling into a coma, which in hindsight may not be the best look for his first evening spent with his new boyfriend. Although as he lay back on his bed, controller discarded on the floor, trying to summon the energy to move again, Vanitas simply laid down beside him. There was precious limited room, which forced them to stay close to one another, and Ventus figured that perhaps this hadn't been such a bad idea after all.

"This is nice," he simply said.

Vanitas chuckled in response, lazily throwing an arm across Ventus's stomach. "It's not so bad."

"Oh, come on, is that the best you've got?" Ven took Vanitas's hand in his. "I never really thought about what it meant. Being together with someone."

"Oh, _really_." Vanitas let his skepticism ring loud in his voice."

"Well—" Ven let out a nervous laugh. "Obviously I imagined the part where I got a stupidly hot boyfriend I could have sex with. And I guess I have that now," he said, grinning at Vanitas. "But _this_? I hadn't thought about this. This is pretty good too."

"'Nice'. 'Pretty good'. You're being a real wordsmith here."

"Yeah, not majoring in English anytime soon."

"Aw, and here I was, expecting I'd be dating a true poet."

"I could make an effort, if you want."

"Ugh. _Please_. I don't even want to joke about barfing right now." A moment later, Vanitas raised his head. "Although, maybe you should try reciting poetry for me. It could be hilarious."

"Wow. Trying to set me up for failure so you can laugh at me. Real classy."

"Do I look like a class act to you?" Vanitas tugged lightly at the piercings on his face, as it to prove his point.

Ventus tilted his head, faking thoughtfulness. "Well, maybe not. But you _do_ look like an amazing boyfriend."

Vanitas snorted with laughter. "Corny, but at least you're making progress on the compliment front."

"Maybe at some point I'll even be worth your time?"

With a knowing smirk, Vanitas leaned down to kiss him. "You already are, or I wouldn't be here right now. But speaking of worth my time—" He sat up on the bed, causing Ven to shiver at the sudden loss of his body heat next to him. "We should be taking full advantage of our time right now."

Ven still didn't know if he was capable of moving at all. "Are we in any rush?" he whined.

"This is college. If you're not in a rush, you're probably headed for failure."

"Harsh."

"But true."

Ven grimaced, but he had a point. Ven was probably already falling back on studying for classes, and it had barely been two weeks. "So what do you suggest?"

"I don't know. We don't have to _do_ anything or go anywhere. Just—not doing _nothing_ would be nice too."

Ven watched him with an amused frown as Vanitas paced. "Aren't you the one who said you liked watching me play games because it gave you an excuse to do nothing?" Vanitas's glare was enough to silence him, and to finally summon the energy to sit up. "Okay. Now what?"

"I don't know. We barely know each other. Shouldn't we work on that?" There was an uncertainty there that looked out of place on Vanitas. Had he never done this before, not even with his previous boyfriend?

Perhaps they'd known each other before dating, Ventus guessed. He doubted Vanitas wanted him to ask about his ex _again_ anyway. "Okay. Get to know each other. I can do that." Although, even as he said so, his mind was drawing blanks on an actual topic of conversation. "Um…when's your birthday?"

Vanitas stared at him, amused. "That's your best—"

"I don't see _you_ asking grand, revelatory questions."

"Fair." Vanitas closed his eyes with a smile. "Same as yours, actually. January 9th."

"Should I be surprised that you know my birthday?"

"You're a public figure. Get over yourself."

"Okay, _stalker_ ," Ven teased. "So we're like, the same age and everything?"

"That _is_ how our concept of age works, yes."

"I can't believe you've known about it this whole time and didn't tell me until now. It's like—fate."

"It's only a coincidence. And I didn't tell you because for at least half of _this whole time_ I've hated you."

"Ouch," Ven said, though Vanitas's words left him undeterred. There was no bite to them—Ven felt like he was getting better at telling the difference. "You slept with me after a week," he pointed out. "That's exactly half of the time we've known each other so far. Surely you can't have—"

Vanitas let out a deep sigh and silenced Ventus with a kiss, before retreating away from the bed. "Shut up." He turned his back to Ven, though Ventus did not miss the hint of color on his cheeks. "What's this?"

The question was likely meant as a distraction, but Ven still pushed himself off the bed to join him by his desk. Vanitas was holding the Wayfinder made of seashells Sora had given him. "It's a gift from Sora. Which he got from his friend, Kairi."

"Regifting?"

"More like—trying to wish me luck. It's a Wayfinder." Glancing at Vanitas's blank look, he remembered what he'd told him in Spanish class—how he had no connection to his Destiny Islands ancestry or culture. "We all have one—Sora, Roxas and I. It's meant to represent our unbreakable connection."

"An unbreakable connection to your family—" Vanitas looked away.

"Hey, is everything—"

Vanitas didn't let him finish. "There's one question you haven't asked me yet."

Ven frowned. It sounded like Vanitas was trying to distract him, but the determined look in his eyes made Ventus think that perhaps he'd been working the courage to get to this, and the distraction had been the _rest_ of this discussion. Still, he wasn't certain what Vanitas was talking about.

"Your grandfather. Why he doesn't like me."

At those words, Ven wasn't sure if he should frown harder or just laugh it off. Vanitas had said they could talk about it _later_ , but Ven hadn't realized he was being literal about it. "In case you didn't notice, I wasn't expecting that to go well at all. You're probably not the kind of guy he wished I was dating. It's no big"

"It wasn't just that I'm not the right _kind_ of guy. It's personal."

The seriousness in his expression forced Ven to drop the attempts at levity. "You're not just assuming that, are you," he said, softly. Vanitas shook his head. "Okay, what is it then?"

Vanitas's determination faltered, and he stepped back, looking away. "Honestly, I kind of thought you knew already. It's my last name and everything. But—"

"Ansem? Like the DSU dean?"

"Like my foster father. Xehanort Ansem."

The name knocked the wind out of Ven's chest. His grandfather had never mentioned _his_ last name before, but the first name was unique enough that— "My grandfather's ex-husband?"

Vanitas nodded. "Yeah."

"Oh. That's—" Ventus paused. "Is _that_ why you know so much about me?"

"It's not like I was actually stalking you, but—" Vanitas bit his lip. "It was hard not to know about your family growing up. My foster father, he's—I don't want to say obsessed, but he's not over it. And I don't think it's because he wants to get back with your grandfather, either. It's more like he's been holding on to his anger this whole time." The tension in him was obvious, from the clench of his jaw, the twitch of his fingers as he tried to avoid closing his fists, the sudden hardness of his breaths.

"Is that why you hated me?" Ven asked. "When we first—"

"No." A faint smirk peeked on Vanitas's lips. "That was all you. As was…"—he waved between the two of them—" _this_."

Ventus couldn't help but smile back. "It _is_ better if I actually earned it myself."

In spite of that, Vanitas's smile wavered. "So you're not mad about this?"

"Mad? Why would I be mad?"

Vanitas shrugged. "Because I kept it from you?"

"No, that's—" Ven took Vanitas's hands into his, forcing him to look up at Ven again. "It's not like you've been _keeping_ it from me. Like I said, we barely know each other—but that's normal. It doesn't mean everything we don't know about each other needs to be a dramatic reveal. If anything, I'm glad you told me now."

"How are you taking this so _well_?" Vanitas asked, his voice lowered to barely a whisper, as if it was on the verge of breaking.

"It's…kinda weird to think about, I guess? But they were their own people, and so are we. This doesn't really affect us unless we let it." He pulled Vanitas in closer, cupping his face gently before kissing him. "Do you want to let it?"

Finally, a genuine smile broke on his face. "No," he simply said, leaning in for another kiss.


End file.
